252 Dzvellcrs of the Sea and Sliurc 



extended straight out In the rear instead of being bent 

 under the fore body, it does not differ greatly from a 

 little crab. It is by means of the swimmerets on its 

 abdomen that it propels itself, and in view of the nata- 

 tory life led by the larva it is easy to understand the 

 predilection of the burdened female for the water. 

 Were her tender babes to burst their swaddling clothes 

 while she sat on the scorching sands, their lives would 

 be in grave peril. But just as frequently, she remains 

 In the humid retreat of her burrow when the hatching 

 is due to occur; the little ones later finding their way 

 out in the waters of the tide. 



A week or so later the megalopa molts; this molt 

 bringing it directly into existence as a young crab. The 

 little creature, who is not much larger than the head 

 of a pin, immediately settles down in some likely area 

 near the high-water mark and starts to burrow. 



From now on it will live like its elders, picking what 

 it can find to eat from the sand and silt. Without 

 going into tedious details, I can say that from what 

 deductions are possible from my tanks, and from 

 further observations at the shore, the probable develop- 

 ments in the future life of the fiddler crab are as 

 follows: Full growth is not attained until it is nearly 

 a year and a half old ; that is, in the fall of the following 

 year. This growth is signalized by successive molts 

 which occur at least twelve times. The castings of the 

 crust take place more frequently in the early than in 

 the late part of the animal's growing life. After it 

 reaches maturity, the moltings no longer occur. There 

 is evidence that pairing happens during, or shortly sub- 

 sequent to, the molting period of the female. Other 



