188 
THE NATURALISTS’ COMPANION. 
Giants Among Small Things. 
BY CHAS, T>. PENDELL, WAVEELY, N. Y. 
Were we to write of the geological 
predecessors of the existing species, 
volumes would he required to produce 
anything like an adequate description. 
Two examples from the past, however, 
will be better than none and may in¬ 
duce the reader to delve more deeply 
into the mysteries of that fascinating 
science. Geology. 
The lobster of the present era, as 
commonl}^ seen, does not exceed live 
pounds in w^eight and is oftener less; 
though when arrived at full maturitj^ 
their weight is about ten pounds. But 
going back countless ages to the early 
Devonian era, we behold wdiat may 
truly be termed a prince of lobsters. 
This giant crustacean, which is called 
Pterygotus, attained the length of six 
feet and wms two feet in breadth. Its 
antennae w'ere armed with powerful 
claws, and in many wmys did it posses 
double advantage over its modern con¬ 
gener. It possessed two pair of eyes 
—a large pair on the front of its head 
and a smaller pair on the top. For 
perfect mastication it was provided 
with four pair of great serrated jaws. 
(Surel3\ it never became extinct 
through dispepsia!) On each side 
was a powerful paddle, enabling it to 
swdftly pursue its prey; wdiile if attack¬ 
ed by any predaceous superior, it 
could, ])y striking the water with its 
broad tail, retreat wdth the rapidit}' of 
an arrow. 
The Triassic period furnishes anoth¬ 
er example in a species of frog, which 
sometimes fdtained a siz(^ fully e(|ual 
t o ox. No complete remains of the 
Labyrintliodon, as it is called. lia\'c 
been found; but enough to fully estab¬ 
lish its character. The mouth was 
furnished with numerous rows of small 
but closely set teeth, and from this 
fact it derives its name. 
Conchology is not supposed to be 
replete with gigantic specimens, but 
in the archipelago of the Molucca Isl¬ 
ands, such specimens are by no means 
rare. Here the Tridacna, sometimes 
weighing tive hundred pounds, fasten 
themselves to the rocks and can only 
be cut loose with an axe. Their thick 
shells, live feet long, are used b}^ the 
natives as bath tubs, ready cut and 
polished by nature. 
Another mollusc of prodigious size 
is the cuttle-fish. One seen near the 
Canary Islands had a spread of arms 
of twenty feet and weighed over four 
thousand pounds. 
A variety of sponge known as Nep¬ 
tune’s Cup, grows on the submarine 
rocks, from three to six feet high. 
Their small stock and wide top, sym¬ 
metrically hollowed out, is an almost 
exact representation of a colossal drink¬ 
ing goblet. 
The marvelous delicacy of organi¬ 
zation and still more marvelous intel- 
igence of insects has always been a 
cause of wonder and a source of admir¬ 
ation; and in this class also, we find 
extremes of strength and size. One 
species, the Goliath of Uriiiy, is much 
larger than many kinds of our more 
common birds, which it would pitiless¬ 
ly strangle and devour, were it in his 
power to cai)ture them. This entom¬ 
ological monster is, from the extrcni- 
it}' of the abdomen to that of the man¬ 
dible, four inches long and is one half 
as broad, and armed Avith its strong 
bony coat of mail, it Avell deserves its 
name. Tlic 1.Mormolyce, though mcas- 
