36O NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Extraordinary reproduction I low taken. 



of observing the parts of the claw, and it is 

 then plain that this conical substance is not a 

 simple congeries of flesh. The moment is now 

 arrived when the claw begins to be brought 

 forth ; the membrane at last bursts, and the new- 

 claw, though still soft, appears without incum- 

 b ranee or investment. In a few days more it is 

 covered with a shell, and, though still delicate, 

 and not the half of its former length, it is able 

 to perform all the natural functions. It has 

 likewise been discovered that, whether the claw 

 lias been lopped oft' at the fourth aiticulation, 

 or any where else, the animal in a short time 

 recovers all that it had lost. The same reproduc- 

 tion takes place also in the horns ; but, if the tail 

 is cut oft, the animal survives a few days only. 



Craw fish are found in many of our rivers, 

 lodged in holes which they form in the clayey 

 banks; and their presence is generally esteemed 

 an evidence of the goodness of the water. They 

 are frequently taken by means of sticks split-at 

 the end, with a bait inserted in the cleft, and 

 Ktuck in the mud at the distance of a lew feet 

 from each other. These sticks, after remaining 

 some time, are taken up, generally with an ani- 

 mal adhering to each. They are gently drawn 

 out of the mud, and a basket is put under them 

 to receive the animals which always drop off 

 when brought to the surface of the water.. 



