94 CRAB, SHRIMP, AND LOBSTER LORE. 



ware dishes, or pans with, lips, such as are sold at 

 almost all earthenware shops for domestic use. The 

 stands may be made from a few boards and fir poles 

 nailed together ; very little ingenuity is needed to enable 

 any cottager to hatch out his own young crustaceans 

 from the egg. The common river cray-fish has been 

 extensively propagated artificially, and there appears 

 no limit to the extent to which fish-hatching in all its 

 branches may be carried by the industrious. There 

 appears, comparatively, little trouble in the early stages 

 of the process — the eggs of the female being placed on 

 gravel at the bottom of the pans. The seed of the 

 male fish is then laid on it, and, in due time, favoui-ed 

 by gentle streams of sea-water constantly flowing, the 

 young crustaceans come forth. In rearing them it must 

 be borne in mind that as their food, when in a state of 

 * nature, mainly consists of marine worms, fish spawn, 

 and the lesser Crustacea, food of a suitable character must 

 be provided until the young nurselings are old enough 

 to turn out in the sea pools to shift for themselves. 

 Our space will not admit of our dealing at any length 

 with this subject, and the few hints we have given are 

 mainly intended to show that important results in this 

 branch of national wealth may be arrived at by the use 

 of very simple means and apj^liances- The number of 

 Lobsters brought every season to Billingsgate Market 

 will serve to give some idea of the importance of 



