268 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



of Stavanger, viz, Mr. Lorange, a civil engineer, Mr. Olsen, a teacher, 

 and two merchants, Messrs. Andr. Hansen and H. Hansen, in 1873, united 

 with a view to making experiments whether it would not be possible to 

 protect the tender young of the lobster by hatching them in boxes or 

 small basins, where they could find a place of refuge till they were so 

 far developed as to take care of themselves. As these first experiments 

 seemed to augur well, they received, at their request, aid from the Eoyal 

 Society for the promotion of the Industries of Norway, (Kgl. Selskab 

 for Norges Vel.,) to enable them to continue their experiments iu 1874. 



For this purpose, they inclosed a sheet of water by building a strong 

 wall at each end of a sound, between two small islands in the Veafjord, 

 not far from Kopervig. This sheet of water was about 300 feet long 

 and 30 feet broad; its bottom consisted partly of rough gravel and partly 

 of rocks stretching along one of the sides, and its average depth was 

 about 5 feet. Five hatching-boxes were then procured, of which one 

 was placed in the inclosed water, three at Aakrehavn, and one at 

 Kopervig. These boxes were made of cork, and were 5 feet long and 2 

 feet deep. Both at the bottom and at the sides, there was an opening 

 of oue-half inch between the boards, which was covered with strips of 

 fine wire-gauze. The boxes at Aakrehavn were, moreover, furnished 

 with a light roof, which, without excluding the light, prevented the 

 boxes from being filled with fresh water during heavy rains. Only one 

 of these three boxes was used for hatching ; the two other ones being 

 used for receiving the young ones as their number became too large for 

 the hatching-boxes, and for making experiments whether the young 

 lobster can be kept outside an inclosed sheet of water, which it might 

 be difficult to procure in some places. Twenty-two female lobsters, hav- 

 ing roe, were bought, of which three were placed in the inclosed sheet 

 of water, and nineteen in the boxes, not all at the same time, however, 

 but by degrees, just as it was possible to procure spawning lobsters. 



Professor Easeh, president of the section for fisheries in the Eoyal 

 Society for Furthering the Industries of Norway, made a report to the 

 society on the hatching-experiments, accompanied by prepared speci- 

 mens, showing the development of the young lobster on each day of the 

 first week after the hatching, and during the fourth week. In this 

 report, he says, that, in his opinion, the experiments have been made 

 carefully and skillfully, and that thereby several facts regarding the 

 natural history of the lobster have been made known, which hitherto 

 were either entirely unknown or not sufficiently proved by experiments. 

 These facts are — 



a. That the young lobsters swimming near the surface of the water are 

 killed by violent rain, which was successfully avoided by having the 

 above-mentioned light roofs over the boxes ; 



b. That the older of the young lobsters, when their shears (claws) are 

 developed, in their boxes attack and eat the younger ones which stay 

 near the surface ; the possibility of doing this was diminished by hav- 



