. The popular natural history . Zoology. THE THORNBACK CRAB. 563 lously rapid, and how it can be accomplished, without subjecting the Crus- taceans to the lot of the starveling mouse, who crawled into a jar of corn, but could not crawl out again after feasting on its contents, seems to partake of the charater of an animated puzzle. The answer to the problem is simply that the creature sheds its armour annually, expands rapidly while yet covered only by a soft skin,, and is soon pro- tected by a freshly-deposited coat of shelly substance. Even this answer contains a second problem little less d
. The popular natural history . Zoology. THE THORNBACK CRAB. 563 lously rapid, and how it can be accomplished, without subjecting the Crus- taceans to the lot of the starveling mouse, who crawled into a jar of corn, but could not crawl out again after feasting on its contents, seems to partake of the charater of an animated puzzle. The answer to the problem is simply that the creature sheds its armour annually, expands rapidly while yet covered only by a soft skin,, and is soon pro- tected by a freshly-deposited coat of shelly substance. Even this answer contains a second problem little less difficult than that which it solves. How can a Crustacean, say a crab or a lobster, shed its skin ? It is true that the cast shells are found, showing that the creature has escaped from its old and contracted tenement by a slit in some part of the body, such as the top of the carapace, and has left its shell in so perfect a. COMMON THORNBACK Squinado.) -(Maia state that it might easily be mistaken for the living animal. But how did it manage about the claws ? We all know what large mus-. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Wood, J. G. (John George), 1827-1889. New York, Burt Co
Size: 1588px × 1573px
Photo credit: © Central Historic Books / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1884
