30 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



The young, like the adult lobster aud the crabs, increase in size by 

 molting, or casting off the shell covering the body, a new shell rapidly 

 ibrming in place of the old one. During the first season, as above de- 

 scribed, the molts are frequent, and the embryos remain at the sur- 

 face of the water as free swimmers, but how long the'young, after reach- 

 ing the lobster-like form, retain this free-swimming habit was not ascer- 

 tained. As the lobsters increase in size, it is evident that molting oc- 

 curs less frequently, and in the adults probably only once a year. 



The rate of growth of lobsters has not been determined, and at jires- . 

 eut we have no means of telling the age of a lobster measuring 10 inches 

 in length. A few measurements have been made showing the amount 

 of increase at certain molts, but it is not always constant, ev^en for lob- 

 sters of the same size, and not knowing the frequency of molting or 

 shedding, we have no w^ay of computing the rate of increase. One lob- 

 ster measuring 8 inches before shedding was said to measure 10 inches 

 after shedding; another, 10 inches before and 12 inches after shed- 

 ding; a third, 10 J inches before and 11| inches after shedding ; a fourth, 

 lOi^ inches before and 12 inches after shedding. Ten-inch lobsters are 

 probably at least five or six years old, but such estimates are only the 

 result of guesswork, aud may be very far out of the way. 



EXPERIMENTS PREVIOUSLY MADE IN LOBSTER CULTURE. 



In the United States the only practical attempts that have yet been 

 made toward the artificial propagation of lobsters have been in connec- 

 tion with the so-called "])arking" of- lobsters — that is to say, their pro- 

 tection in large inclosed natural basins, primarily for the purpose of 

 perfecting them for market, aud of retaining conveniently at hand at 

 all seasons a large reserve stock. In these parks the young lobsters 

 taken by the fishermen are allowed to attain the adult size, the soft- 

 shelled individuals to become hardened, and injuries to be repaired. 

 Under such natural conditions, it is reasonable to suppose that the 

 breeding habits would continue normal, and that large quantities of 

 spawn would be hatched ; but whether the young would survive and 

 increase in sufficient numbers to render the scheme profitable, if car- 

 ried on for this purpose alone, has not been determined, though none of 

 the projects had been continued long enough to give satisfactory re- 

 sults, at last accounts. Two such parks in the United States have been 

 specially called to our attention. The first was established on the coast 

 of Massachusetts in 1872, and was afterwards abandoned, though for 

 what reasons we do not know. The second was started in 1879 or 1880, 

 on the coast of Maine, and is, we believe, still in operation. 



The latter is a small inclosed bay, with a narrow entrance, through 

 which the passage of all objects above a very small size is prevented 

 by a screen of wire netting. Tliis bay had previously furnished good 

 lobster fishing, and was much resorted to by fishermen. It contains an 



