Show THE WEST INDIA LAND CRAB From Good Words The males begin their march several days earlier than the females who form the main body of this exodus their battalions extending for a mile and a half in length with a breadth of forty or fifty paces So closely do they march together that the noise of their shelly Integuments a they jostle each other is said to resemble the rattling rat-tling of the armor of a regiment of cuirassier Should the rain cease and sunny weather supervene before they reach the sea they are forced to halt perhaps for several days otherwise their supply of moisture would be exhausted hausted and their respiratory organs thrown out of order These difficulties overcome and the ocean reached at length they precipitate precipi-tate themselves into the welcome element ele-ment and soak Then they betake themselves to holes on the shore and rest The next item on their pro gramme ds an allImportant onethe females again enter the sea and deposit their eggs This accomplished the wthole army falls in again and marches back to the mountains but not with the vigorous bearing and intrepid marching that characterized it seaward sea-ward progress The crabs are now worn and weak their flesh poor and worthless a food for their human enemies Their return is like that of a defeated army spiritless and protracted racted Their old haunts reached they begin at once to feed and pick up strength and substance so that by July or August they have accumulated a fair store of fat and can then afford to go into hiding for a time while they get rid of their old shells and develop new and more roomy ones A a preliminary prelimi-nary step they collect a quantity of dry grass and leaves with which to furnish their burrows and close up the entrance after they have retired within At this period their enemy the negro knowing them to be then at their nego bet digs many of them out of their bur rows and sups royally upon them |