238 THE LIFE OF CRUSTACEA 



gammarus and H. americanus) . The former is found 

 on the coasts of Europe from Norway to the 

 Mediterranean, living mostly a short distance below 

 low- water mark wherever the bottom is rocky. At 

 some places, as for instance at Worthing, Lobsters 

 are common on a sandy bottom, but as a rule they 

 seem to prefer localities where the crevices of a rough 

 hard bottom afford abundance of shelter. They are 

 usually caught in traps known as " Lobster pots " or 

 "creels," which vary in construction in different 

 localities. In some cases they are made of wicker- 

 work, hemispherical in shape, with a funnel-shaped 

 opening on top, so devised as to permit the Lobsters 

 to enter easily, while preventing their escape. 

 Another form is semi-cylindrical, with a framework of 

 wood covered with netting or with wooden spars, and 

 having two funnel-shaped entrances at the sides. 

 These traps are baited with pieces of fish, preferably 

 stale, and are sunk in suitable places, each attached 

 by a line to a buoy or float. 



Important Lobster fisheries are carried on in 

 Norway, Scotland, England, Ireland, Heligoland, and 

 other parts of the coasts of Northern Europe. In the 

 South the Lobster fishery is of less importance, other 

 large Crustacea, especially the Spiny Lobster, being 

 more abundant and more highly esteemed. 



The American Lobster, as already mentioned, 

 closely resembles the European species, the chief 

 difference being in the form of the rostrum (see 



