IH ES APU DU BON BULLETIN 13 
Nature’s Scavengers 
By C. O. DECKER 
DOWN THROUGH THE AGES there has evolved a class of creatures with repre- 
sentatives in all varieties of natural surroundings, in the seas, on the land, 
and in the air, that we speak of as “scavengers” and think of as a “neces- 
sary evil.”” But, can anything that is really necessary be evil? The passing 
of open sewage disposal systems in modern communities does not end the 
necessity for the removal of solid matter liable to decay. All health authori- 
ties recognize this as a necessity, and therefore it cannot be evil. Animals, 
and even human beings, still die from disease, accident, or other causes, in 
such circumstances that the remains are left to the processes of nature for 
disposal. There Nature’s scavengers come in. 
In the economy of the ocean itself Crustacea are of great importance, 
for they act as the scavengers of the sea. The general term of “scavenger 
crab” refers to any crab which feeds on dead and decaying animal matter. 
Most crabs, among them the edible species, have this habit and are notably 
efficient in making away with carrion. On some parts of the Atlantic coast 
of the United States thousands of small fiddler crabs may be seen about a 
carcass; and on some sandy beaches a dead animal washed ashore is soon 
beset by a host of horseman crabs which mine the sand and live in these 
temporary burrows as long as the feast lasts. 
In all oceans and on most shores we find numerous species of sea 
anemones that also assist in keeping the waters clean. They are dis- 
tinguished by the cylindrical form of the body, which is soft, fieshy, and 
capable of dilation and contraction. The same aperture serves for both 
mouth and vent. There are sometimes as many as 200 tentacles by means 
of which the animal seizes and secures such food as may float within its 
reach. When expanded it has somewhat the appearance of a flower, but 
when touched the tentacles are quickly retracted within the mouth. 
There are several species among the fishes that can be included as 
scavengers. The shark has been taken by deep sea fisherman after being 
attracted to the vicinity by dead animals thrown overboard as bait. Among 
the fresh water varieties the catfish and carp are commonly known as 
scavengers. 
Reptiles as a class are not known to take dead or decaying food regularly, 
though they may do so occasionally or accidentally. As Dr. H. K. Gloyd 
has said, ‘Captive snakes sometimes can be persuaded to eat pieces of dead 
fish or chunks of meat, but it is doubtful if such baits would be taken in the 
freedom of the out-of-doors.” 
Among the insects the common house fly comes first to mind with the 
thought of carrion. And there are several species of insects that disable 
or kill others to give food to their young, which hatch from eggs deposited 
on or within the bodies. One of the beetles is commonly known as the 
burying beetle, sometimes as the sexton beetle, from its habit of burying 
the carcasses of small animals, such as mice, moles, or shrews, in which it 
has deposited its eggs. 
