CHAPTER XIII 



THE INFANCY OF CRABS AND CATERPILLARS 



The childhood of animals is a theme about which we 

 shall be able to say more a generation hence, when more 

 attention has been paid to the early phases in the life- 

 history of such animals as the collector and the advance 

 of " civilisation " have left to us. So far, our survey in 

 these pages has been confined to that great group of 

 animals which are technically known as the " Vertebrates," 

 wherein, from Man downwards, we remark a gradual 

 shortening of the infantile period, and a lessening of the 

 intelligence. 



Among the higher groups — from Man to the Reptiles — 

 we find the young, exceptions apart, as in the case of the 

 kangaroo, enter the world as more or less complete 

 miniatures of their parents. From the Amphibia — the 

 frogs and their kind — downwards, we find, on the other 

 hand, that the young enter the world in a form quite unlike 

 that of the adult, and frequently lead a totally different 

 kind of life. Among the Invertebrates, which we are now 

 to consider, the differences between adult and offspring 

 are generally still more marked, not only in outward 

 appearance but also psychologically. 



Young mammals and young birds commonly betray, 

 with more or less frequency, a joy in living, an exuberance 



236 



