“Oh, look at that big lobster!” exclaimed Bunny, pointing to a dark green fellow, with big claws, and a tail curled up underneath.

“Isn’t he big!” Sue said.  She and her brother often saw many strange fish, but they never failed to be interested in them, and this lobster was a fine one.

“Yes,” said a fisherman, “he was in our nets, and we brought him in with us.  Your father, the other day, said he’d like to have one, and maybe he will want this.”

“I’ll go and ask him,” said the little chap.

“And maybe Aunt Lu likes lobsters, too,” Sue said.  Neither she nor Bunny cared for lobster, as they did for other fish.  But grown folks are very fond of the big, clawy creatures.

Perhaps some of you children have never seen a lobster.  They are a sort of fish, though they have no scales.  They live inside a shell that is dark green when the lobster is alive.  But when he is cooked it turns a bright red.

Lobsters have two big claws, and a number of little ones, and with these claws they walk around, backward, on the bottom of the ocean or bay, and pick up things to eat.  In some inland rivers and streams there are what are called crayfish, or crabs.  They are very much like lobsters, only, of course, a lobster is much larger.

Mr. Brown came out of his office when the fish were being unloaded from the boat, into barrels of ice.  He saw the big lobster and said he would buy it, to take home to cook for supper.

“We’ll have a fine salad from him,” said Bunny’s father to the fisherman.

The lobster was still alive and the fisherman picked it up just back of the big, pinching claws, so he would not get nipped, and put the lobster in a basket for Mr. Brown to carry.  Bunny and Sue leaned over, looking at the green shellfish, when a voice behind them asked: 

“What is it?”

The children turned to see George Watson, a boy older than Bunny, who lived near him.  George often played little tricks on Bunny and Sue.

“What is it?” he asked again.  “A whale?”

“A big lobster,” Bunny answered.

“I guess he could almost pinch your nose off in one of his claws,” Sue said, not going too close to the basket.

“Pooh!  I’m not afraid of him,” George declared.  “I’ll let him pinch this stick,” he went on, picking up one, and holding it out toward the lobster, which was slowly waving its “feelers” to and fro, and moving its big eyes, that looked like shoe buttons sticking out from its head.

“Better look out!” was Bunker’s warning, seeing what George was doing.  “He’ll nip you!”

“I’m not afraid!” boasted George.  “I can——­”

And just then something happened.  George got his finger too near the lobster’s claw and was at once caught.

“Ouch!” cried George.  “Oh dear!  He’s got me!  Make him let go, Bunker!  Oh, dear!”

Bunker did not stop to say:  “I told you so!” He took out his big knife, and put the blade between the teeth of the lobster’s claw, forcing it open so George could pull out his finger.  Then, with a howl of pain and fright, the boy ran home.  He was not much hurt, as a lobster can not shut his claws very tightly when out of water.  Just as does a fish, a lobster soon dies when taken from the ocean.