170 



NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part 1 



FRESH WATER LOBSTER. 



SPIDERS AND INSECTS. 



The little animal commonly called the 

 Hair Snake also belongs to this order, and 

 to the genus Gordius. These are very 

 common in the still waters and mud in 

 all parts of the state. They are usually 

 about the size of a large horsehair, and are 

 from one to 6 or 8 inches in length. In 

 color they vary from pure white to nearly 

 black, and hence we probably have sev- 

 eral species. The vulgar notion that they 

 oritrinate from hairs which fall from hor- 

 ses and cattle, and become animated in 

 the water, would socrn to be too absurd to 

 need contradiction ; and yet, absurd as it 

 is, people are to be found who believe it. 



Another, and, indeed, the most com- 

 mon animal belonging to this class in Ver- 

 mont, is the earth worm, Luml/ricus tcr- 

 restris, L., called here the Jingle loorm, 

 on account of the great use made of it for 

 bait in fishing. Its body is cylindrical, 

 of a reddish color,and grows to the length 

 of 5 or 6 inches, with the size of a com- 

 mon goose quill. It is destitute of teeth, 

 eyes, and limbs. It traverses the ground 

 in all directions, and seems to subsist 

 chiefly upon the rich soil, which it swal- 

 lows. It comes to the surface of the 

 ground during the night, and in wet wea- 

 ther, but descends during the day and in 

 dry weather, so as to be in contact with 

 the moist earth. 



Crustacea. 

 This class embraces the crabs, lobsters, 

 and the like. They usually have a crus- 

 taceous covering, which is more or less 

 hard, with articulated limbs, and distinct 

 organs of circulation. They breathe by 

 means of branchife, which vary much in 

 form and situation, being in some cases 

 on the abdomen, and in otliers on the bot- 

 tom of the feet. The animals of this class 

 are very numerous, but they are confined 

 principally to the ocean, and to tropical 

 climates. The following is the only one 

 found in Vermont, which we shall de- 

 scribe. 



THE FRESH WATER LOBSTER, 

 Astacus Bartonil. Bosc. 

 Descrtption. — General color greenish 

 brown or dark olive ; legs 10, the three 

 anterior ones on each side each termina- 

 ted by two claws forming a kind of for- 



ceps ; anterior forceps large, strong, tooth- 

 ed, orange colored at the point and edges 

 and besprinkled with spots formed by in- 

 dentations. Tail terminated by 5 fan-like 

 plates, forward of which, upon the under 

 side, are two rows, with three in each, of 

 small fringed fins, and still further for- 

 ward are 4 bony limbs which fold inward 

 towards the abdomen ; horns, or feelers, 

 6, two of which are 3 inches long, the oth- 

 ers much shorter. Limbs edged with 

 sparse, downy hairs ; body and limbs cov- 

 ered witli shell, with numerous articula- 

 tions. Length of the specimen before me 

 4^ inches. 



This singular little animal is so exact a 

 miniature of the large salt water Lobster 

 that some have supposed it to be the young 

 of that species, or rather a dwarfed variety 

 of it. But it is evidently a distinct spe- 

 cies, and though it lives and continues to 

 grow for many years, it very seldom ex- 

 ceeds 4 or 5 inches in length. It is very 

 common in many of the small streams in 

 the western parts of the state. It is some- 

 times eaten, and by some is esteemed a 

 luxury. It is often called the Craw Fish. 



Aracknides. 



The principal animals in Vermont which 

 belong to this class are the Spiders, of 

 which we have, probably, about 100 spe- 

 cies. The Spiders belong to the genus 

 .firanea of Linneus. And though usually 

 called insects, they differ very materially 

 from the proper insects in their form and 

 habits, and constitute a very interesting 

 family, but we are neither prepared nor 

 have we room to go into particulars re- 

 specting them. Their classification ia 

 based to a considerable extent upon the 

 arrangement of their eyes, which are us- 

 ually eight in number. 



Insects. 



Insects constitute the most numerous 

 division of the animal kingdom. Euro- 

 pean naturalists have computed that there 

 are on an average 6 insects to one plant. 

 This computation is probably too high for 

 our country, but, estimating only two 

 thirds of that number to a plant, as we 

 have about 1000 plants, it will give us 

 4000 species of insects. The number of 

 known species of New England insects is 

 now about 3000, of which the greater part 

 are found in Vermont. How many re- 

 main to be examined and described is, of 

 course, unknown, but the number is, 

 doubtless, very considerable. The word 

 Insect comes from the Latin word hisccta, 

 and is applied to these small animals on 



