File:Narrative of the expedition of an American squadron to the China seas and Japan (1857) (14597953018).jpg

Identifier: narrativeofexped05perr (find matches)
Title: Narrative of the expedition of an American squadron to the China seas and Japan
Year: 1857 (1850s)
Authors: Perry, Matthew Calbraith, 1794-1858 Hawks, Francis L. (Francis Lister), 1798-1866
Subjects: United States Naval Expedition to Japan (1852-1854)
Publisher: New York, D. Appleton and company (etc., etc.)
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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nds out from the shore. The varieties of fish are not numer-ous ; among those taken in the seine belonging to the Susquehanna, there werebut five observed: the mullet, which seemed to be the most abundant, twovarieties of perch, the gar, and the common ray. Sharks are very numerous,and, when quite small, frequent the shallow places among the coral rocks,and are there pursued by the dogs, seized upon and dragged on shore. There is an abundance of excellent green turtle, of which the ships ob-tained large supplies; there are also plenty of cray fish. The varieties ofthe testacea are numerous, but none that was observed of any rarity, andnone edible except the chama gigas, which, however, is very tough andindigestible. The family of the Crustacea is very extensive, of which theland crab forms the chief part, and which exists in every variety of size,form, and color; one of the most abounding is that which is commonlyknown as the pirate. This animal can be seen in every direction near the
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PRODUCTS OF PEEL ISLAND. 23S shore, travelling about with its odd-looking domicil upon its back, which itseems to have got possession of rather by chance than from choice. The pirate has no home of its own, but appropriates, whence its name, thatwhich belongs to others. It has a decided preference for the shells of thebuccina, murex, and bulla, which have the comfortable proportions of aninch and a half or so in length ; but if such desirable quarters should, byany mischance, happen to be scarce, the pirate readily turns into the nextmost suitable dwelling of some neighbor at hand. It is necessary that theanimal should have some snug corner whtrein, if not to lay its head, at anyrate to put its tail, for the latter is soft, and requires constant protection.Thus, when the pirate moves about, his head and claws are always pro-truded, but his rear is covered with his borrowed shell. It is still anunsettled question whether this animal appropriates the domicils of oth-ers by first rudely

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