g animals.
Lobsters wear marvellous coats of mail, very similar to those worn by
human warriors during the age of chivalry. Their jointed structure
assures them perfect ease and security. Crabs, however, believe, as the
tortoise, in the strong-box protection. When resting, crabs tuck their
legs beneath them, so as to shelter themselves under the hard covering.
Upon crabs Nature has bestowed twin protective characteristics: namely,
they are armoured, and also mimic their surroundings. The latter
protection is especially needful, because certain big fishes, like the
cod, are in the habit of swallowing crabs whole. In this case the armour
is of no use, while the protective resemblance saves the crab.

To discuss in detail all the various kinds of armour and mail that the
different groups of animals have used and developed for offensive and
defensive purposes since the days of the prehistoric gigantic
armadillos to the present, would require a book of itself. It is
sufficient to know that armour and mail and spines are among Nature's
most common forms of protection, and that each age develops new and ever
more efficient methods of defence. This simply means that the age-long
drama of evolution is always changing. Everything that is came out of
that which was, and throughout the ages the ever-evolving organisms have
been developing out of the past, that they might ever be new.

V

MINERS AND EXCAVATORS

_"When the cold winter comes and the water plants die,
And the little brooks yield no further supply,
Down in his burrow he cosily creeps,
And quietly through the long winter sleeps."_

--(_The Water Rat._)

There are many ground-dwellers in the animal world, and foremost among
them is the mole. This remarkable little creature is not only gifted as
a digger of canals and tunnels, but plans and makes the most
extraordinary subterranean homes. Sometimes he unites with his fellow
creatures and establishes whole cities with winding passages, chambers,
exits and entrances. In fact, he has not only an exquisitely arranged
home, but highways and roads that lead to his kingly hunting-grounds
which are as elaborate as that of a modern man of wealth and culture.
Indeed his subterranean network of tunnels excels in complexity our
modern city subways. His engineering calculations never fail, and a
cave-in of his hallways is unknown. This little gentleman with the
velvet coat is a genius of varied accomplishments