Fig. 127.—Pearly nautilus: T, tentacles; M, mantle; E, eye; s, siphuncle; S, siphon; C, chambers.
XIV. THE CRUSTACEANS
Among all the animals few are more interesting and whimsical than the crabs and lobsters. They have jointed legs, feelers and claws in pairs, living in a shell which they cast like an overcoat when they outgrow it, and have bodies which are made up of hard, tough, limy rings or segments (Fig. 128). The crustaceans are found in all waters, fresh and salt, and on land. They abound in the greatest variety, and range in size from specimens almost invisible to the naked eye to forms with a radial spread of over twenty feet.
During a recent visit to the outlying islands of the Texan coast, I found these extensive regions populated by vast hordes of white or yellowish land crabs, which paraded the beaches and climbed over the dunes in such numbers that the eyes could not be raised without seeing a dozen or more. They were so familiar and tame that several large individuals had burrows by the side of the walk which led from the hotel, and readily took bread thrown to them.
On the keys of the Florida Reef the "spirit crabs," as they are called, are equally common. Pretending to be asleep, I have often watched them cautiously approaching, led by their curiosity to see what strange object this was that had washed ashore. If I remained perfectly quiet, they would gather in dozens, and numbers of little hermits would crawl over me, to drop off at the slightest alarm. In the water were countless other forms.
