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 THE LOBSTER 
 
 A Lobster. 
 
 EVISED BY THE EDITOl 
 D. P. KIDDER. 
 
 NEW-YORK: 
 
 PUBLISHED BY G. LANE <k C. B. TIPPETT, 
 
 FOR THE SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL 
 
 CHURCH, 200 MULBERRY-STREET. 
 
 /. Collord, Printer. 
 1845.
 
 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 CURIOUS STRUCTURE OF THE LOBSTER ITS EXACT 
 
 ADAPTATION TO ITS CIRCUMSTANCES MICROSCO- 
 PIC CREATURES FORMED ON THE SAME PLAN. 
 
 The lobster has often attracted attention 
 from its peculiar appearance, yet rarely has 
 it awakened the admiration which it ought 
 to call forth. Look at the first with which 
 you meet, and observe what you can of its 
 structure. It will be seen at once that the 
 limbs, as well as the whole body, are encased 
 in tubes of a solid material, all far more care- 
 fully adapted to their respective places than the 
 most skillfully-contrived armor that was ever 
 made. The various parts, too, are admira- 
 bly united together ; the joints being almost 
 always those of a nicely-constructed hinge. 
 And then the muscles by which they are 
 moved are lodged within, and are no less
 
 4 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 wisely suited to their purpose, so that a lob- 
 ster shows as clearly that God made it, as 
 any creature that can be taken from the sur- 
 face of the earth, or from the midst of the 
 waters. 
 
 The head and thorax of the lobster, like 
 those of some other creatures, are blended 
 into one portion, covered above by the cara- 
 pace, or shield, and below by a narrow piece, 
 to the sides of which the legs are attached. 
 To the part thus constructed succeeds the 
 portion often called the tail, defended above 
 by seven broad, arched plates of armor, 
 hinged on, and regularly overlapping each 
 other in succession. The last of these has 
 two oar-like portions, on each side of which 
 the outermost is transversely jointed. 
 
 The limbs are divided into three sets. On 
 each side of the mouth five of them appear, 
 furnished with tentacles, or arms, and are 
 called foot-jaws. These limbs seize the 
 food, turn it about, and apply it to the moutli. 
 
 Next succeed five pair of true limbs. Of 
 these the first pair have great power, and the 
 last joint consists of large pincers, able to in- 
 flict severe injury. The two pairs of pincers
 
 THE LOBSTERc 
 
 differ in form and use. The left-hand ones 
 have their opposing edges finely toothed, 
 and are employed in seizing and cutting the 
 prey. The right-hand pair have blunt edges, 
 and seem designed for holding, anchor-like, 
 any fixed objects, thus mooring the animal 
 amid the dashing of the tempest-tossed wa- 
 ters. Of the four succeeding limbs on each 
 side, the first, two end in small pincers, the 
 rest are simply pointed. 
 
 Along the under surface of the tail are cer- 
 tain limbs, called false feet. Of these there 
 are five pairs, and all, except the first, are 
 divided at the last joint. These false feet 
 assist, perhaps, in swimming ; and the female 
 uses them to afi&x the eggs, or spawn, by 
 means of a glutinous fluid, to the under sur- 
 face of her body. 
 
 The shield, already mentioned, projects to 
 defend the eyes: these are two in number, 
 and are placed on a short movable foot-stalk. 
 Below the eyes are four antennae, or horns, 
 of which the central pair are the shortest and 
 most slender, and they also are divided. 
 
 In the lobster the organs of hearing are 
 placed underneath, on the basal, or lowest
 
 6 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 joint of the larger pair of antennae. They 
 appear in the form of a small membrane, 
 surrounded by a slightly-raised margin. 
 This membrane covers a little cell filled with 
 fluid, and a small branch of the nerve supply- 
 ing the antennae ramifies within it. It is by 
 the vibration of the surrounding water that 
 the sensation of hearing is conveyed, but it 
 cannot be very definite or acute. 
 
 The mouth of the lobster is prO'vided with 
 two greater jaws, two smaller ones, and two 
 feelers. It is thus enabled to crush very 
 hard substances. 
 
 The lobster is formed for swimming. 
 The hinder part of its body is divided into 
 segments, which play on each other by a 
 remarkable kind of mechanism, the margins 
 of each portion overlapping, and partly in- 
 closing, the succeeding one. By striking 
 the water with a vigorous flap of the tail the 
 lobster propels itself; and the paddles which 
 terminate this part are so arranged, that when 
 the animal raises or extends the tail, they 
 slide over each other, so as to present the 
 least possible surface to the water. During 
 the stroke, which is inward, they expand to
 
 THE LOBSTER. 7 
 
 the full. So great is the power of this stroke, 
 that a lobster will instantly dart itself back- 
 ward to a distance of eighteen or twenty feet. 
 
 In this creature, and others of similar 
 rank, may be detected an organ, with very 
 muscular coats, able to propel its contents 
 into the vessels, and, therefore, properly 
 called a heart. The distinction, which can 
 scarcely be made in inferior creatures, be- 
 tween arteries and veins, is here apparent. 
 The vessels into which the blood is sent, to 
 distribute it, are certainly arteries, while the 
 vessels which bring it back to the heart are 
 as certainly veins. The heart of the lobster 
 is just under the large portion of shell form- 
 ing one piece, covering the upper part of the 
 body,- and called the shield ; its pulsations 
 are very distinct, and performed with great 
 regularity. 
 
 The stomach of these creatures is sup- 
 ported by strong pieces, which are furnished 
 with three hard teeth, moved by powerful 
 muscles, able to grind the food to a pulp, so 
 that it is reduced a second time before diges- 
 tion commences. 
 
 Equally well adapted to their circum-
 
 8 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 Stances is the apparatus for breathing. If 
 the sides of the shield already mentioned are 
 broken away, where the margin comes down 
 to the base of the legs, a shallow chamber 
 will be laid open, on each side, lined with a 
 fine membrane, and inclosing a series of 
 tufts. These tufts are the gills of the lob- 
 ster, each one consisting of a stem, beset 
 with fibres, which produce a feathery appear- 
 ance. Each stem incloses an artery and a 
 vein. The gill-chambers freely admit the 
 water by a wide opening, while another near 
 the mouth, closed by a plate, permits its 
 egress. The movements of other parts keep 
 the water in constant motion, and promote 
 its circulation through the chambers, so that 
 fresh fluid is brought to the surfaces of the 
 gills. Hence, the more the limbs are work- 
 ed, the more freely is water received, and 
 the more rapidly does the air act on the 
 blood. 
 
 It is well to attend to the lobster for its 
 own sake ; but it is also well because it 
 affords a fair sample of the plan on which 
 many creatures are modeled. Naturalists 
 have associated it indeed with a great multi-
 
 THE LOBSTER. 9 
 
 tude of animals. Some of these are micro- 
 scopic. Immense numbers of these are found 
 in stagnant waters ; yet many exist in rivers 
 and streams, and may be found abundantly 
 in that with which the houses of London 
 are supplied. Microscopic plants and ani- 
 malcules, and the dead of their own race, 
 serve them as food, while they, in turn, are 
 the prey of the hydra and other aquatic 
 creatures. 
 
 The appearance of some of these singular 
 little creatures, inclosed in a shelly covering, 
 is calculated to excite and reward curiosity. 
 Many, indeed, are so much like minute 
 shells, that a person ignorant of their kind 
 of inhabitants would never suspect their true 
 place in the animal kingdom. The legs of 
 some are furnished with branchial fringes, 
 which appear in perpetual motion. Their 
 limbs, with few exceptions, are all organs 
 for movement in the waters. Their number 
 varies : some have six, others twenty, others 
 forty-two, and some even more than a hun- 
 dred. 
 
 The figures of a few species will now be 
 given, to show the general characters of
 
 10 
 
 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 form which these creatures display, as well 
 as the changes exhibited by the young in 
 the progress of their growth. The following 
 Cyclops quadricornis is common in fresh 
 water. The adult is about nine-twelfths of 
 a line long — a line being the twelfth part of 
 an inch. 
 
 Cyclops quadricornis. a, body of four segments ; b, tail of six ; 
 c, c, antennae ; d, d, smaiiler antennie, four jointed ; e, e, limbs, 
 of which the first pair are the most powerful. 
 
 The following represent the young at dif- 
 ferent periods of their lives. 
 
 1. Young just after birth ; 2. Young eight days old; 3. Young 
 
 fifteen days old ; 4. Young after \]\o first molt.
 
 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 11 
 
 The provision made for the increase of 
 these creatures will be apparent from the 
 adjoining figure, a, a, egg-sacs of the 
 female. 
 
 Egg-sacs. 
 
 The shell which covers these minute ani- 
 mals is often delicately transparent, permit- 
 ting not only the inclosed animal, but even 
 its internal structure, to be perceived. In 
 
 Dapiinia Tulex.
 
 12 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 general there is only a single eye. The 
 multitudes of some species in stagnant water 
 is often so great as to tinge it with their own 
 color. Thus the Daphnia pulex has so 
 abounded in some instances, as to give to 
 the water of a pond the color of blood. 
 
 The increase of some animals of this kind 
 is very remarkable. The female of Cyclops 
 quadricorniSf common in the ordinary water 
 of London, will lay eight times every three 
 months, and upward of forty eggs each time ; 
 and as the young, if so they may be called, 
 are a*ble to lay at the age of about three 
 months, the number of which one female 
 may be the parent, in the course of a year, 
 is enormous. 
 
 These animals resist cold in a very extra- 
 ordinary manner. They have been pur- 
 posely frozen in water congealed to ice, and 
 on its being melted most of them appeared 
 as active and vigorous as before. They also 
 endured to be dried, though not for many 
 minutes. On one occasion it was found that 
 out of twelve individuals, dried for fifteen 
 minutes, five only recovered on being re- 
 stored to the water, and that twelve, kept dry
 
 THE LOBSTER. 13 
 
 for twenty-five minutes, perjshed. Yet, as 
 in seasons of drought the pools and ditches 
 which they inhabit are so commonly dried 
 up, it is certain they will retain life when 
 buried in mud, so long as any moisture re- 
 mains. They become active when the rain 
 falls, but are destroyed when the mud hard- 
 ens. Still, it is said, the eggs do not perish 
 with the parent, but will be hatched four or 
 five days after being placed in water. 
 
 Another creature, the Cypris puber'a, is 
 found in pure stagnant water, and is very 
 active in its movements. Its singular tail 
 is freely movable, the creature coming forth 
 from the shell at pleasure. 
 
 Cjrpris Pubera, shell removed. Cypris Pubera, in its shell. 
 
 The animals of another group adhere to 
 the bodies of various tenants of the waters, 
 on whose juices they feed. Hence the mouth 
 is adapted not to mastication, but suction.
 
 14 
 
 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 The eyes are two in number. The body is 
 covered with a shell, sometimes consisting 
 of a single shield, in others divided into sec- 
 tions. Tv^ro of the antennae, or horn-hke 
 parts, are formed into pincers, and as such 
 are used in taking a firm hold.
 
 THE LOBSTER. 16 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 THE CRAB VARIOUS REMARKABLE CREATURES OF 
 
 THIS KIND ADMIRABLE PROVISION OF DIVINE 
 
 WISDOM. 
 
 In continuing our observations of those 
 creatures to which the lobster is alhed, the 
 comnaon crab now demands our particular 
 attention. Its skeleton is external. Each 
 side of the animal is provided, with four legs 
 and a hand, the latter pincer-like, being 
 divided at the end into two parts. One of 
 these hands is movable, the other not. The 
 crab has no tongue, but it has organs of taste. 
 The mouth is provided with eight pairs of 
 jaws. A part of the stomach is furnished with 
 grinding teeth, and here mastication is com- 
 pleted. The antennae are organs of touch. 
 
 The crab is enabled to move in any direc- 
 tion, with equal facility. The solid sheath, 
 which includes the whole of the viscera and 
 other soft parts of these animals, is fully 
 adapted to this purpose. Joints, therefore, 
 are provided, either between the different 
 rings of the body or the various elements of
 
 16 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 the limbs, allowing of motion to a greater or 
 less extent between these different pieces. 
 That this may be done, the movable piece 
 rests on that which precedes it by two hinge- 
 like joints, and the whole shows a most 
 simple but effective arrangement. 
 
 Many crabs, from their general structure, 
 and the shortness of their tails, are far better 
 adapted for walking on the shore, or at the 
 bottom of the sea, than for svs^imming. Most 
 persons, who have visited the sea-shore at 
 low tide, have observed shoals of crabs run- 
 ning quickly about, in their side-way manner, 
 and endeavoring, when approached, to bury 
 themselves in the sand. It is, indeed, far 
 more common for the crab thus to approach 
 the shore than the lobster, for the former is 
 more terrestrial than the latter. Yet both, 
 provided the gills are kept bathed with their 
 proper fluid, will live, for a long time, out 
 of their native element. Many crabs lead 
 almost their whole lives out of water. 
 
 Certain fresh-water species are thus semi- 
 terrestrial. One, common in Italy, Greece, 
 and Egypt, and well known to the ancients, 
 is capable of living, for a considerable period,
 
 THE LOBSTER, 17 
 
 on dry land. The Greek priests eat it raw, 
 and it forms one of the dishes of the Itahans 
 during Lent. It is figured on many of the 
 ancient Sicilian and Grecian medals. 
 
 The species of a genus which has one of 
 the pincer-claws longer than the other, it 
 being sometimes the right, and at others the 
 left, dig with the larger claw burrows on the 
 borders of the shore ; and in these they take 
 up their abode. These burrows, which they 
 close when tenanting them, are circular, and 
 carried down obliquely to a great depth. Fre- 
 quently are they so numerous as to remind 
 the spectator of a rabbit warren. Each one 
 has only a single occupant. One species in 
 South Carolina passes three months of the 
 winter in this retreat, and only visits the sea 
 when about to spawn. 
 
 The land-crabs of another genus, of which 
 one species lives in Northern Africa, and 
 another in India, also tenant burrows, which 
 they dig in the sand, near the sea. They 
 only quit them at sunset to return home in 
 the morning. With such velocity do they 
 run on land that, it is said, a man on horse- 
 back can scarcely keep up with them. 
 2
 
 18 
 
 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 Of these creatures, however, the most cele- 
 brated is the violet crab, a native of the West 
 Indies and South America. In May and 
 June, when the rainy season takes place, 
 these creatures descend the mountains, which 
 are their usual abode, and that in such num- 
 bers that the roads and woods are covered 
 with them. So skillfully do they steer their 
 course, that they travel by the easiest de- 
 scent, and arrive most readily at the sea, the 
 
 Violet (3rab8 on tlieir inland route.
 
 THE LOBSTER. 19 
 
 object at which they aim. They are said to 
 resemble a vast army marching in battle 
 array, following always a straight line, and 
 not breaking their ranks. They surmount 
 every obstacle that is in their way, and even 
 scale the houses that he in their path. They 
 sometimes enter the houses, making a noise 
 like that of rats ; and when they invade gar- 
 dens they destroy with their claws the whole 
 produce. 
 
 In Jamaica it is said to be impossible to 
 keep them out of the houses, or even out of 
 the bedrooms, where, at one tim« scratching 
 with their large claws, and at another ratthng 
 across the floor, they make a noise that would 
 not a little astonish and alarm a stranger. 
 
 Escaping various dangers during a march 
 which sometimes occupies three months, 
 the}^ arrive at last at the sea-shore, and pre- 
 pare to cast their spawn. As yet the eggs 
 are within the bodies of the crabs ; and as 
 soon as they have reached the spot they have 
 sought, they go eagerly to the edge of the 
 water,* and let the waves wash over them 
 two or three times. They now seek a lodging 
 on land. Here the spawn rapidly increases ;
 
 20 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 it is excluded from the body, and adheres 
 to it under the flaps of the tail. The crabs 
 in this state once more seek the shore, shake 
 off the spawn into the water, and, leaving it 
 to be hatched, retreat to the mountains. 
 Many, from exhaustion, fail in their attempt. 
 Much of the spaw^i is said to be devoured 
 by fish ; but at length multitudes of little 
 crabs may be seen leaving the shore, and 
 slowly traveling up the neighboring heights. 
 One writer says : — '' On descending Qua- 
 hill, from the vale of Plaintain-Garden River, 
 the road appeared of a reddish color, as if 
 strewed with brick-dust. I dismounted from 
 my horse to examine the cause of so unusual 
 an appearance, and w^as not a little astonished 
 to find that it w^as owing to the myriads of 
 young black crabs, about the size of a man's 
 finger, crossing the road, and moving, at a 
 brisk pace, direct for the mountains. I was 
 concerned to think of the destruction I was 
 causing in traveling through such a body of 
 useful creatures, as I fancied that every time 
 my horse put dowm a foot it was the bss of 
 at least ten lives. I rode along the coast a 
 distance of about fifteen miles, and found it
 
 THE LOBSTER. 21 
 
 nearly the same the whole way, only that in 
 some places they were more numerous, in 
 others less so. Returning the following day, 
 I found the road still covered with them, the 
 same as the day before. It is worthy of re- 
 mark, that this prodigious multitude of young 
 ones were moving from a rock-bound shore, 
 formed by inaccessible cliffs, the abode of 
 sea-birds, and against which the waves of the 
 sea were constantly dashed by the trade-wind 
 blowing directly upon them. That the old 
 crabs should be able to deposit their eggs in 
 such a part of the coast (if that, as would 
 appear, is the habit of the animal) is not a 
 little extraordinary." 
 
 The long journeys of the parent crabs re- 
 quire, of course, a special provision in the 
 structure of these creatures. It is necessary 
 that the gills should be kept constantly moist ; 
 but that God who gave a stomach to the 
 camel so curiously formed that it can carry 
 a large quantity of water during its journeys 
 in the desert, was at no loss to provide for 
 the violet crab. Recent observation has 
 shown, what would have been observed be- 
 fore had due attention been given to this
 
 22 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 creature, that there is a kind of reservoir 
 capable of containing a certain quantity of 
 water, placed immediately above the gills, 
 where the front part of the shield appears 
 more swollen than in the species of crabs 
 which are truly aquatic. How delightful is 
 it to observe this, among innumerable pro- 
 visions of the all-wise God, for the welfare 
 of inferior creatures ! 
 
 The hermit crab is a remarkable creature. 
 Instead of the whole hinder part of the body 
 being protected by a hard and shelly armor, 
 it is covered with a sort of leathery mem- 
 brane. Thus comparatively defenseless, it 
 is obliged to resort to artificial means of 
 protection. Apart from this effort of a mar- 
 velous instinct, how could it escape being 
 bruised and broken among the rough stones 
 of a rocky beach, when a rolling tide lashed 
 the shore ? How, too, could it escape the 
 assaults of its enemies ? 
 
 The means employed in this instance are 
 very curious. The hermit crab selects an 
 empty turban-like shell, and inserting its tail, 
 retreats backward, that in the winding re- 
 cesses of its chosen dwelling it may find
 
 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 23 
 
 Hermit Cx^b.—Pagurus miles. 
 
 The tipper figure shows the unprotected tail ; the lowef one, 
 
 the " hermit," with his tail coiled up in a turbinated shell. 
 
 safety. When grown loo large for the house 
 it has, it searches for another, and takes up 
 its abode in one more spacious. 
 
 If we take the common hermit crab of our 
 coasts, we shall find that only the right of its 
 pincer-claws is largely developed, and with 
 this it both shuts and guards the opening of
 
 24 
 
 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 its shell. The locomotive legs are feeble, 
 and of these only two in each side are fairly- 
 developed. The paddle at the end of the 
 tail in other creatures, now no longer needed 
 as such, is changed into a sort of anchor, by 
 which the animal retains a firm hold of the 
 bottom of its dw^elling. Carrying this with 
 it, it prowls about in quest of prey. Where 
 a dead carcass aifords a repast, numbers of 
 these crccitures may sometimes be seen 
 gathered together. 
 
 Another very remarkable creature forms a 
 part of the genus called Brigus, and among 
 these the tail, though small, is solid. None 
 
 Brigtis Latro, on a Cocoa-nut Palm Branch.
 
 THE LOBSTER. 26 
 
 of these animals tenant shells. One remark- 
 able species, of large size, climbs trees, and 
 feeds on the fruit of a species of palm. Its 
 food is a small kind of cocoa-nut; it lives not 
 in holes in the rocks, but at the roots of trees. 
 It is a favorite food of the natives of some of 
 the South Sea islands. 
 
 Mr. T. D. Bennett observed a curious 
 crab, that frequents the shallow^est w^aters of 
 the shore-reef, at Raiatea. The most inte- 
 resting feature in its economy is an attempt 
 it makes at disguise, by covering itself with 
 decayed vegetable substances, mud, and co- 
 ral-sand, the better to ensnare its prey. The 
 example he obtained measured six inches in 
 the circumference of the shell, and was of a 
 dull brown color ; the entire surface of the 
 body and legs is covered with rigid and in- 
 curved bristles, calculated to retain the ex- 
 traneous substances used for disguise, while 
 short and well-concealed forcep-claws, and 
 foot-stalks curving upward, to raise the eyes 
 above the pile of materials on the back, are 
 also in exact accordance with the secretive 
 habits of this animal. Although active when 
 captured, its movements in the water were
 
 26 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 sluggish, and the attention of Mr. Bennett 
 was drawn to the creature only by the strange 
 phenomenon of what appeared to be a lump 
 of rubbish moving slowly from one spot to 
 another. The disguise employed by this 
 crab is not, however, without its parallel 
 among other creatures. 
 
 Another crab he observed retracts its legs 
 beneath the shelter of its broad carapace, 
 places its broad and flat forcep-claws across 
 the head as a further protection, and remains 
 perfectly motionless, however much annoyed. 
 One of the crew of the vessel in which he 
 sailed, who found a specimen of this crab on 
 the beach, put it into his pocket as a *' curi- 
 ous stone," and was not a little surprised, 
 after a lapse of time, to find the apparently 
 inanimate body making its escape.
 
 THE LOBSTER. 27 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 INTERESTING QUESTIONS — A REPLY GROWTH OF THE 
 
 CRAYFISH FREEDOM OF THE LOBSTER EROM ITS 
 
 SHELL CHANGE OF THE CRAB RENEWAL OF LIMBS 
 
 THE WORKS OF GOD. 
 
 Returning, after this glance at kindred 
 creatures, to the lobster, an interesting ques- 
 tion arises : How is this animal, which re- 
 sides within so solid a shell, to find room for 
 its increase in size ? *' It has," as Paley re- 
 marks, " in its constitution a difficulty so 
 great, that one could hardly conjecture be- 
 forehand how it could be disposed of." In 
 most animals the skin grows with their 
 growth. If instead of a soft skin there be a 
 shell, still it admits of a gradual enlargement. 
 If the shell, as in the tortoise, consists of 
 several pieces, the accession of substance is 
 made at the joinings. But the lobster's shell, 
 being applied to the limbs of the body, as 
 well as to the body itself, allows not of the 
 usual mode of growth, which is observed to 
 take place in other shells. Its hardness re- 
 sists expansion, and its complexity prevents
 
 28 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 its increasing in size by additions to its edges. 
 How, then, was the growth of the lobster to 
 be provided for ? Was room to be made for 
 it in the old shell, or was it to be successively 
 fitted with new ones ? If a change of shell 
 became necessary, how was the lobster to 
 free itself from its old one ? 
 
 Observation has cleared up the difficulty. 
 It has shown that the lobster, and similar 
 creatures, not only change their hard cover- 
 ings, but that even the covering of the eyes, 
 the lining membrane of the stomach, the 
 teeth, and also the expansions to which the 
 muscles of the claws are attached, are all 
 periodically thrown off. It is only when re- 
 leased from their armor that these animals 
 increase. The soft body, liberated from its 
 close confinement, suddenly pushes forth its 
 growth. The vital energies are now sum- 
 moned to the task of enlarging the frame, 
 and this being completed, new coverings are 
 acquired, to be thrown off on the arrival of 
 the usual period. 
 
 Reaumur, who watched the process in the 
 case of the river crayfish, describes it as at- 
 tended by many efforts and much struggling.
 
 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 29 
 
 A few days before it commences, which is 
 early in autumn, the creature abstains from 
 all solid food. The shield and lower seg- 
 ments of the body now offer less resistance 
 than usual to the pressure of the finger. 
 Shortly afterward, the crayfish appears rest- 
 
 Cmyfi^ih.— Astacus fiuriatUts.
 
 30 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 less, and rubs its legs against each other. 
 It now throws itself on its back, agitates the 
 whole body, and then distends it, by which the 
 membrane joining the shield to the abdomen 
 is burst, and that large plate is raised. Some 
 degree of rest follows these first struggles. 
 
 After a short time the animal again puts 
 all its organs in motion, the shield is seen to 
 rise gradually from the legs beneath, and in 
 less than half an hour the animal has freed 
 itself from this portion of its armor. By 
 drawing back its head, the horns, eyes, and 
 legs are withdrawn as from a case ; and the 
 extrication of the last being the most difficult, 
 it is attended with so much pain, that the 
 effort sometimes occasions the loss of one or 
 more of these limbs. The hinder parts are 
 withdrawn more easily. The head is drawn 
 below the shield, and the covering of the tail 
 is thrown off by a forward motion. The 
 creature may now be seen freed from all its 
 incumbrances, and the case is left unbroken, 
 as if no struggle had taken place within it. 
 In a specimen found by Professor Jones, the 
 segments of ihe pincer-claws, but not of the 
 ordinary legs, were split near the joints, and
 
 THE LOBSTER. 31 
 
 the uniting ligaments ruptured ; the lining 
 of the stomach,, and the teeth, were found 
 in the thorax. 
 
 The change that takes place in the lobster 
 differs from the one now described. This 
 creature is vigorous and ravenous to the last. 
 Instances have been known in which lobsters 
 about to cast their covering, and enticed by 
 the bait set for them, have entered the traps, 
 and on the fisherman beginning to handle his 
 prize, the animal has slipped away, leaving 
 him only the empty shell. A circumstance 
 of this kind enabled a naturalist to give a 
 minute description of a very perfect case, 
 left by a lobster in making its escape, which 
 it did to the great annoyance of the fisher- 
 man, who had calculated on a prize some- 
 what beyond the ordinary dimensions. The 
 observer in this instance could not detect 
 any extraordinary movements or contortions 
 when the lobster was engaged in freeing it- 
 self from its trammels, or observe that the 
 time was prolonged, as in the case of the 
 crayfish. It is certain, that, when delivered, 
 the creature possesses great activity in effect- 
 ing its escape.
 
 32 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 In this case the sheaths of the horns and 
 feelers were perfect to their minutest extre- 
 mities. The stalk and transparent covering 
 of the eyes were also uninjured. The seg- 
 ments of the hinder part of the body, with 
 the plates at the end, were all joined toge- 
 ther, but without any membrane between. 
 The parts beneath the snout, including the 
 jaws, pincers, and legs, together with other 
 portions, and the internal coat of the stomach, 
 formed one piece, with no further separation 
 than would arise from the absence of every 
 portion of the membrane. 
 
 The manner in which the animal escaped 
 was not to be mistaken. Through the middle 
 of the shield ran a line, as straight as if it 
 had been cut with a knife. This was made 
 evidently by a natural process of separation, 
 for it even proceeded through the centre of 
 the snout to the extremity of the creature, so 
 that the least effort of the animal was suffi- 
 cient to afford it a passage. 
 
 In the common crab, according to the same 
 observer, this change takes place by a sepa- 
 ration of the defense of the back from the 
 lower portion of the shield, the animal lying
 
 THE LOBSTER. 33 
 
 on its back during the process. Prior to 
 this — and it may be so in the lobster and 
 similar creatures — the fleshy contents of the 
 limb-cases shrink very considerably. Other- 
 wise the flesh, and that of the pincers in 
 particular, could not be freed, for it does not 
 appear that either in the crab or the lobster 
 the shells of these parts are fissured. 
 
 The newly-extricated crab, not unlike a 
 lump of dough inclosed in membrane, has, 
 at first, barely strength enough to crawl to a 
 place of safety. This is some fissure or 
 hole, and there it absorbs as much fluid as 
 will distend its organs and their common 
 covering, now flexible as velvet, to the full 
 extent of their capacity. By this means the 
 calcareous crust is deposited, according to 
 the newly-acquired bulk of the animal, which 
 is proportionately the most increased in the 
 youngest individuals. 
 
 In the earher stages of life, the sudden 
 pushing forward of growth occurs several 
 times in the course of the year, but at more 
 and more distant intervals as the animal ad- 
 vances toward maturity. When this period 
 has arrived, the shell, most probably, is never 
 3
 
 34 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 renewed. In proof of this opinion it may 
 be stated, that a large hving Norway lobster 
 was minutely examined by an eminent na- 
 turalist, and that the carapace of this creature 
 formed a bed on which appeared a cluster of 
 full-grown muscles, all firmly attached, in 
 close array. Another observer has found 
 oysters two inches and a half in length at- 
 tached to the carapace of living crabs. 
 
 There is another curious fact in the history 
 of these creatures, which must not be omitted : 
 it is the power of reproducing their limbs 
 when lost by accident. The loss of a leg 
 or two, strange to say, appears of little im- 
 portance. When suddenly alarmed, indeed, 
 a lobster will often throw off its claws with 
 a jerk. Usually, when a limb is injured, the 
 animal breaks it off at the joint secured to 
 its junction with the trunk, where the growth 
 more speedily commences. 
 
 No pain seems to attend this singular opera- 
 tion. The wound becomes covered with a 
 delicate pellicle, it begins to sprout, and in 
 due time a new claw is produced. It re- 
 mains, however, unprotected with a hard 
 shell till the next general molt, and seldom
 
 THE LOBSTER. 35 
 
 or never acquires the consistency of the cor- 
 responding claw, although equally perfect in 
 form. An analogy occurs in many lizards, 
 and especially the geckos, which reproduce 
 the tail when accidentally broken off. 
 
 Surely, then, an acquaintance with these 
 facts will stimulate the reader to seek further 
 information in reference to the works of the 
 great Creator. In doing so employment will 
 be found of a truly delightful and improving 
 character. The further we proceed in such 
 pursuits, the more numerous will be the dis- 
 plays of the divine wisdom and goodness, 
 while often we must pause and say : — 
 
 So He ordained, whose way is in the sea, 
 His path amidst great waters, and his steps 
 Unknown ; whose judgments are a mighty deep, 
 Where plummet of ai'changel's intellect 
 Could never yet find soundings, but from age 
 To age let down, drawn up, then thrown again, 
 With lengthened line and added weight, still fails ; 
 And still the cry in heaven is, " the depth !" 
 
 In the operations of God, it is not enough 
 to behold him as the Creator and the Pre- 
 server ; the Redeemer should be also de- 
 voutly contemplated. *' What shall it profit 
 a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and
 
 36 THE LOBSTER. 
 
 lose his own soul ? or what shall a man give 
 in exchange for his soul ?" Mark viii, 36, 37. 
 And the soul will perish, if there be not a 
 simple and total reliance on the only Me- 
 diator, " who of God is made wisdom, and 
 righteousness, and sanctification, and re- 
 demption," to all who beheve the gospel. 
 1 Cor. i, 30. 
 
 The soul! exchange for aught the soul! 
 
 Born to survive yon glorious sun ! 
 When age on age hath ceased to roll, 
 
 Its endless being but begun ! 
 
 Yet man, with an immortal mind, 
 
 Pursues througli life his shadows vain ; 
 
 And, with mysterious folly, blind, 
 Bax'ters his soul, and calls it gain ! 
 
 Lord, teach us vv-here our safety lies ! 
 
 Let us the fii-st of lessons leani : 
 All pilgrims here, may we be wise. 
 
 And make our souls our great concern. 
 
 THE END.

 
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