Homaridae 



235 



moves forward by means of the swimmerets and darts backward by 

 sudden jerks of the abdomen. It measures between n and 14 mm. 

 All the traces of larval swimming organs disappear after the 6th molt. 

 The ensuing molts follow at rather short intervals. It has been estimated 

 that during the first year the lobster molts from 14 to 17 times and 

 attains a length of from 2 to 3 inches. 



The first three stages comprise the most critical period of the larval 

 life of the lobster. The natural food of the larvae probably consists of 

 pelagic copepods and other crustaceans. In the hatching tanks they 

 display strong cannibalistic tendencies, usually attacking their victims 

 from above and nipping into the abdomen at its junction with the cara- 

 pace. The self-destructiveness of the larvae constitutes the greatest diffi- 

 culty in rearing them under artificial conditions. The best method of 

 overcoming this consists in preventing the aggregation of the larvae on 

 the bottom and by keeping them afloat. This is accomplished by a con- 

 tinuous stirring of the water by means of a propeller (P) operated by 

 an electric motor (not shown in Fig. 47). 



Fig. 47. — Method of hatching and rearing lobsters. A, hatching jar; P, propeller; 



S, screen; T, tank. 



Experiments carried out by the author at Woods Hole prove that 

 boiled and dried fish is the best food for the larvae. A whole fish is cut 

 in several pieces and boiled in freshwater for about 30 minutes, then 



