DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70266#0104
86
kirby’s wonderful museum.
general halt, and wait till the cool of the evening. When
terrified, they march back, in a confused disorderly manner,
holding up their nippers, with which they sometimes tear
off a piece of the skin, and leave the weapon where they in-
flicted the wound. They even try to intimidate their
enemies; for they often clatter their nippers together,
as if to threaten those who disturb them. But though
they thus strive to be formidable to man, they are much
more so to each other; for they are possessed of one most
unsocial property, which is, that if any of them by accident
is maimed in such a manner as to be incapable of proceed-
ing, the rest fall upon and destroy it on the spot, and then
pursue their journey.
When after a fatiguing march, and escaping a thousand
dangers, (for they are sometimes three weeks in getting to
the shore) they have arrived at their destined port, they pre-
pare to cast their spawn. They have no sooner reached the
shore, than they go to the edge of the water, and let the waves
wash over their bodies two or three times. This seems only
a preparation for bringing the spawn to maturity; for with-
out farther delay, they withdraw to seek a lodging upon
some land. In the mean time the spawn grows larger, is
excluded out of the body, and sticks to the barbs under the
tail. This bunch is seen as big as a hen’s egg, and exactly
resembles the roes of herrings. In this state, they once
more seek the shore, and shaking off their spawn into the
water, leave accident to bring it into maturity. At this
time whole shoals of hungry fish are at the shore, in ex-
pectation of this annual supply; and immediately about
two-thirds of the eggs are devoured by these rapacious in-
vaders. The eggs that escape are hatched under the sand;
and soon after, millions of these little crabs are seen quitting
the shore, and slowly travelling up to the mountains. The
old ones, however, are not so active to return ; they have
become so feeble and lean, that they can hardly creep along,
kirby’s wonderful museum.
general halt, and wait till the cool of the evening. When
terrified, they march back, in a confused disorderly manner,
holding up their nippers, with which they sometimes tear
off a piece of the skin, and leave the weapon where they in-
flicted the wound. They even try to intimidate their
enemies; for they often clatter their nippers together,
as if to threaten those who disturb them. But though
they thus strive to be formidable to man, they are much
more so to each other; for they are possessed of one most
unsocial property, which is, that if any of them by accident
is maimed in such a manner as to be incapable of proceed-
ing, the rest fall upon and destroy it on the spot, and then
pursue their journey.
When after a fatiguing march, and escaping a thousand
dangers, (for they are sometimes three weeks in getting to
the shore) they have arrived at their destined port, they pre-
pare to cast their spawn. They have no sooner reached the
shore, than they go to the edge of the water, and let the waves
wash over their bodies two or three times. This seems only
a preparation for bringing the spawn to maturity; for with-
out farther delay, they withdraw to seek a lodging upon
some land. In the mean time the spawn grows larger, is
excluded out of the body, and sticks to the barbs under the
tail. This bunch is seen as big as a hen’s egg, and exactly
resembles the roes of herrings. In this state, they once
more seek the shore, and shaking off their spawn into the
water, leave accident to bring it into maturity. At this
time whole shoals of hungry fish are at the shore, in ex-
pectation of this annual supply; and immediately about
two-thirds of the eggs are devoured by these rapacious in-
vaders. The eggs that escape are hatched under the sand;
and soon after, millions of these little crabs are seen quitting
the shore, and slowly travelling up to the mountains. The
old ones, however, are not so active to return ; they have
become so feeble and lean, that they can hardly creep along,