190 



YOUNG SHRIMPS. 



objects which they have been in the habit of 

 throwing away as rubbish, and which they will 

 still throw away if not looked after. 



In the little rock-pools that are left by the 

 tide, numbers of small shrimps may be found, but 

 not easily caught ; for they are exceedingly active, 

 darting about with the rapidity of arrows, and, 

 being just the colour of the sand, are difficult to 

 perceive. They cause innumerable furrows in the 

 sand by their little darting flights; and although 

 their marks are usually obliterated by the return- 

 ing tide, yet there are instances where the farrows, 

 together with the spots produced by rain-drops, 

 and the footmarks of shore birds, have been 

 petrified, and remained as witnesses of events 

 that took place many ages ago. If these little 

 shrimps are desired as specimens, they may be 

 easily captured, by passing a gauze net rapidly 

 through the water. The shrimps are startled at 

 the flash of the net, and as they dart about wildly, 

 here and there, are caught in the very object 

 which they were endeavouring to avoid. 



The shrimp is a prolific creature, and produces 

 a large number of eggs, which it carries about 

 until hatching time comes. The young shrimps 

 are comical little creatures, anything but har- 

 monious in their proportions, and bear no more 



