QUEER CHIMNEY BUILDERS 199 
He stays still and quiet, and gets through the 
days somehow in the deepest meditation. Gen¬ 
erally at the end of a week he has formed a new 
crust or shell, and is ready to take his place once 
more in the affairs of the town. After all, per¬ 
haps, the whole incident is no worse than the 
trouble many a poor fellow has over his tailoring 
difficulties, myself included. Look at this jacket 
now: there are four buttons off! 
“ Crawfish reproduce by eggs. These remain 
attached to the swimmerets of the mother; and 
thus she carries them, and also the young in the 
early beginning of their career. When set adrift 
to fend for themselves, crawfish babies are tiny 
miniatures of their parents. They remain in the 
water until they have reached the age of dis¬ 
cretion, and are ready to found homes of their 
own in Crawfish Town. 
“ One species, which resembles our town dwell¬ 
ers, does not follow all the latters’ habits. It is 
found in our running streams and ponds, and 
spends its life in pools of fresh water. But, as 
said before, while the Crawfish tribe looks alike, 
there is no accounting for the vagaries of some 
branch of the family.” 
