BIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF WOODS HOLE AND VICINITY. 



66; 



Crago sepiemspinostis Continued . 



eral)*, 7643*, 7644 (i)*, 7645 (i)*, 7653 (few)*, 

 7654*, 7655 (i)*, 7657 (few, 2 with eggs)*, 7660 

 (with eggs)*, 7661*, 7662*, 7663 (with eggs)*, 

 7672 (i)*, 7673 (with many eggs)*, 7675*, 7676, 

 7677 (2 with eggs), 7678 (19), 7679 (i), 7680(1), 

 7681 (several), 7682 (several), 7685 (few), 

 7687, 7689 (several), 7697 (i), 7698 (few), 7699 

 (several), 7700 (few), 7701 (many), 7702 (few), 

 773 (4). 7704 (few), 7705 (few), 7706 (many), 

 7707 (few), 7708 (few), 7709 (few), 7710 (2), 

 7717, 7718 (few), 7719 (few), 7722 (i), 7725 (i), 

 7726 (several), 7727 (many), 7730 (i), 7731 (7), 

 7734(i), 776o. 



Phalarope and Blue Wing stations: 4 (i), 5 (i), 

 8 (i fragment), 9 (2), 13 (several with eggs), 

 15 (several with eggs)*, 19*, 23*, 24 (i), 25*, 

 29 (few)*, 33 (several with eggs)*, 37*, 48 (with 

 eggs)*, 49*, 50*, 51 (several, some with eggs)*, 

 5 2 *> 53- 55 (many with eggs), 65 (2), 67 (i)*, 

 69 (several), 71 (i), 72 (few), 73 (few)*, 75 (2)*, 

 78 (2), 79 (few), 80 (several), 81 (many), 82 

 (very common), 83 (many), 84, 85, 89, 90, 93 

 (i), 100 (i small), 101 (few), 103, 104, 108 (sev- 

 eral), 109 (many with eggs), no, in (few), 

 113, 114, 115 (common), 116, 117 (several), 118 

 (few), 122 (few), 123 (i), 127 (i), 129 (common), 

 (3)' I 3 1 ( few )> J 33 ( J ), 134 (several), 135, 

 (i) *3 8 ( J )> J 39 ( few ), 140 (i), 145 ( x )> 

 149 (i), 150(1). 



Reported by Bumpus as breeding in March. 

 Egg-bearing females are common throughout 

 the summer, one being reported by Thompson 

 as late as September 19. 



Collected as food in the neighborhood of New Bed- 

 ford, according to R. Rathbun, 1884. An im- 

 portant item in the food of fishes. Recorded 

 by Verrill and Smith in the stomach contents 

 of the following species: striped bass, white 

 perch, kingfish, bonito, sea robin, toadfish, 

 haddock, tomcod, summer flounder, window- 

 pane flounder, herring, hickory shad, Raja 

 Icevis (?). 



Family 



Peneus brasiliensis Latreille. 



Verrill and Smith, 1873, p. 551 (PencEus brasili- 



ensis; no local records); M. J. Rathbun, 1905, 



p. 19 (Penceus brasiliensis). 

 Katama Bay, i specimen. Rathbun. Tisbury 



Pond, October 18, 1906; i specimen, taken by 



V. N. Edwards. 



Family 



Homarus americanus Milne Edwards. The Ameri- 

 can lobster. [Chart 108.] 



Verrill and Smith, 1873, p. 549, 313, etc.; S. I. 

 Smith, 1879, p. 55; Herrick, 1895, p. 1-252; 

 1902, p. 161; 1911, p. 149-408; Rathbun, 1905, 

 p. 18. 



Lobster fishing by means of "lobster pots" is 

 conducted extensively in Woods Hole Harbor 

 and in various parts of Buzzards Bay and 

 Vineyard Sound, at Menemsha Bight, and 

 many other points in the region. Recorded 

 by the survey from scattered stations through- 

 out Vineyard Sound and Buzzards Bay; 

 dredged in 3 to 15 fathoms on bottoms of 

 sand, mud, and gravel. Lobsters come in 

 toward shore in the spring, retreating to deeper 

 waters in the fall. 



Fish Hawk stations: 7618 (i, 5 inches long), 7645 

 (i claw), 7654 (i fragment), 7661 (i, 6 inches), 

 7662 (i, 10 inches), 7687 (3 small), 7689 (2), 

 773 ( J )> 777 (i young), 7724 (2), 7728 (many 

 medium sized), 7730 (several), 7731 (2), 7757 

 (i), 7762 (i young). 



Phalarope and Blue Wing stations: 6 (r frag- 

 ment), 7 (fragment), n (i young), 50 (i dead), 

 83 ( i fragment). 



According to Herrick, the mature female lobster 

 as a rule lays eggs once in two years; the egg- 

 laying season at Woods Hole reaches its height 

 during the latter part of July, though a consid- 

 erable percentage spawn during the fall and 

 winter. Those eggs which are extruded in 

 July are carried on the abdominal appendages 

 of the female until the following May or June, 

 when they hatch. 



Food: fish (which is sometimes taken alive), 

 Crustacea (chiefly crabs and isopods), small 

 gastropods, algae, echinoderms (starfish and 

 sea urchins), and hydroids. "While the lob- 

 sters are great scavengers, it is probable that 

 they always prefer fresh food to stale." Her- 

 rick. On the other hand, the lobster is preyed 

 upon by various fishes, among which the 

 smooth dogfish (Mustelus canis) must be given 

 an important place. "In fact every preda- 

 ceous fish which feeds, upon the bottom may 

 be looked upon in general as an enemy of the 

 lobster. " Herrick. 



