himself along. When he is disposed to dive, he strikes sail; and, without any apprehension of being drowned, sinks to the bottom. When the weather is calm, and he has an inclination to see the world, or take his pleasure, he mounts to the surface, and self-taught in the art of navigation, performs his voyage without either chart or compass; is himself the vessel, the rigging, and the pilot.” When the sea is calm, numbers of these animals are said to be seen sailing on the surface; but at the approach of a storm, they fold in their legs, and swallowing as much water as will enable them to sink, they plunge to the bottom, where they no doubt remain in a place of security during the raging of the tempest, and when they wish to rise, they void this water, and so decreasing their specific gravity, quickly ascend to the top, where, by means of their tails, answering the purpose of helms, they can steer themselves in any direction. Sea Tortoises, without any teacher but nature, are instinctively taught to lay their eggs on the sea shore, and cover them with sand; and no sooner are the young hatched and fitted for their journey, than they leave the place of their nativity, and run towards that element which Providence has destined for their abode; so that the poet may well say: "Reason progressive, instinct is complete; When the young Lobsters leave the parent, they betake themselves to hiding places in the smallest cliffs in the rocks; but no sooner do they find themselves incrusted with a firm shell, than they sally out in quest of plunder. When the time of moulting, or changing the shell draws near, this animal again betakes itself to a retired situation, where it remains in security during its defenceless state; and after losing the shell, (which both crabs and lobsters do annually,) and before a new one is formed, the animal is in a very naked and defenceless state, exposed to the dog-fish, and a multitude of other depredators. In this situation they do not, however, long continue; for the new covering is formed, and completely hardened, in little more than forty eight hours; and no sooner does it find itself covered with its new suit of armour, than it appears again on the stage, lively and active as before. The common Crabs herd together in distinct tribes, and keep their separate haunts. The Soldier Crab is not provided by nature with a shell attached to his body, but she has inspired him with instinctive sagacity to take up his abode in the first empty one he can lay hold of, suitable to his purpose, and to change it for another when it grows incommodious. When it has overgrown, or otherwise has occasion to change the shell, the little soldier is seen busily parading the shore, but still dragging its old habitation along, unwilling to part with one, until it has found another still more convenient for its purpose It is seen stopping at one shell, turning it, then going on to N another, looking at it a while, then slipping its tail from the old habitation to try on the new. This is sometimes found to be more inconvenient, in which case it quickly returns to its old shell, and goes in quest of another more roomy and commodious. But it is not till after many trials and frequent combats, that the soldier sometimes finds himself completely equipped; for there are frequent contests betwixt two of this species, for some welllooking and commodious shell; and it is from this circumstance, perhaps, the soldier-crab derives its name. When two of them meet with the same object, each strives to take possession; they strike with their claws, and bite each other till the weakest is obliged to yield. It is then that the victor takes possession, and parades in his new conquest, backwards and forwards upon the strand, before his envious antagonist. The Land Crabs of the West Indies. (which also may be reckoned among the natives of the deep,) are represented as living in a kind of orderly society, and regularly once a year marching down from the mountains to the sea, in order to deposit their spawn; and after the little creatures are hatched under the sand, they also are observed as regularly quitting the shore in crowds, and slowly travelling up towards the mountains These creatures commence their expedition in the months of April and May. At that time the whole ground is covered with this numerous band of adventurers. The sea is the place of their destination, and to that they direct their march. No geometrician could send them by a shorter course. They never turn aside to the right or to the left, if they can possibly avoid it, whatever obstacles intervene. If they meet with a house, they will attempt to scale the walls, in order to keep their ranks; and if the country be intersected by rivers, they wind along the course of the stream. They are commonly divided into three battalions, of which the first consists of the strongest and boldest males, that, like pioneers, march forward to clear the route, and face the greatest dangers. They are often obliged to halt for want of rain. The main body is. composed of females, which never leave the mountains till the rain is set in, and then descend in regular order, in columns of fifty paces broad, and three miles deep; and so close that they almost cover the ground. Three or four days after this, the rear guard follows, a straggling and undisciplined tribe, consisting of males and females; but neither so robust nor so numerous as the former. The night is their chief time of proceeding; but if it rains by day, they do not fail to profit by the occasion. When they are terrified, they march back in a disorderly manner, holding up their nippers, with which they sometimes tear off a piece of the flesh of an assailant, and leave the weapon where they inflicted the wound. They even try to intimidate their enemies, by clattering their nippers together, which, considering their number, must have a powerful effect. When they have arrived at the shore, which sometimes takes three months, they prepare to cast their spawn, by eagerly going to the edge of the water, and letting it wash several times over their bodies. At the expiration of some days, spent on the land, after this washing, they again seek the shore; and shaking off the spawn into the water, leave it there. The sea, to a great distance, is black with the eggs, and shoals of hungry fish' attend, and devour a considerable quantity of them; those that escape are hatched under the sand; and soon after, millions at a time of these little crabs are seen quitting the shore, and making their way slowly to the mountains. When the Tellina has occasion to move, she puts herself into a certain position, which occasions her to spring out, with considerable force, to a distance. When the Scallop finds herself deserted by the tide, it jerks itself forward by opening and shutting its shell in a singular manner. When the Razor shellfish finds itself deceived by the fisherman, when he decoys it from its subterraneous habitation by a sprinkling of salt, and has time to retreat, no such attempt will succeed a second time. When part of the legs of the Sea Hedge-hog are at work, carrying him forward, the horns that are nearest in that direction are busily employed in making soundings or feeling the way. The Muscle, when she has commenced spinning her cable, will make a trial of a thread, by drawing it out strongly towards her, before she proceeds to stretch out a second; and these cords, which she spins with so much art, are, in reality, as serviceable to them as cables are to a ship. There are frequently a hundred and fifty of these |