early youth, the diminutive ''Little Lena." Nor 

 has she lost the affectionate interest with which 

 we regarded her behavior in her younger days. In 

 fact, already I begin to anticipate with some un- 

 easiness that time when the relation of this dumb 

 creature to my family will be only too keenly com- 

 prehended. The span of the spider-crab's life does 

 not extend much over three years; fully two of 

 Little Lena's probable three have passed. As every 

 one knows who has formed an attachment for some 

 shorter-lived friend, time in these matters has not 

 the habit of halting. It will not, therefore, be many 

 more months before the members of the family 

 will note Little Lena's absence from her familiar 

 place of patient waiting — and they will know that 

 their humble pet is dead. 



But of Little Lena's overtures toward the atten- 

 tions of her human friends, I shall presently have 

 more to say. For the moment I wish to resume my 

 thread and speak of certain physical details re- 

 garding the identity of the spider-crab's sex. As 

 evidenced in the instance of Little Lena, the fe- 

 male spider-crab, after leaving the megalops 

 stage, molts twelve times before she reaches ma- 

 turity. The indications are also that this number 



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