ABOUT LOBSTERS 45 



of the expanded metal with the sharp edges was placed * * 

 outside. This illustrates the sensitivity of lobsters' feet 

 since lobsters will commonly crawl over the outside of 

 any pot before entering. Evidently, the sharp edges 

 were repellent. This pot is reported to be as effective 

 as old-style wood pots. Its cost is not known, but its 

 durability must be far greater than those made of wood. 

 These pots were originally made with metal net- 

 ting for heads. It is interesting that they would fish well 

 in 15 fathoms or deeper, but not in shallower water. 

 When the heads were replaced by nylon netting, they 

 would fish at all depths. A deduction from this is that 

 wave action made the wire head vibrate at shallow 

 depths, where the wave action is felt, and that such vi- 

 bration was repellent to lobsters. This conclusion has 

 been given as a reason why chicken-netting pots (in- 

 stead of slats ) do not fish well. 



The plastic pot. Plastic pots have been made in Mar- 

 blehead, but it is probable that their manufacture has been 

 discontinued, since a request to buy one was not answered. 

 The one seen in York was very crude; the components were 

 not made in a die but hand molded. The plastic pot might 

 be very practical on account of its strength, durability, and 

 resistance to teredos but the gamble of the cost of dies to 

 make them would be great. If a manufacturer could only be 

 sure his design was right, he might risk the gamble, but he 

 would still have to face the uncertainty of enough lobster- 

 men accepting it. The individual thinking among lobster- 

 men often handicaps the development of new gear for them. 



The British or Scotch pot. This pot is quite similar to 

 our two-side-entrance half-round pot, but without an inner 

 bedroom. It differs in that the side slats are replaced by a 

 nylon netting of about the same opening as we use in our 

 heads. This reduces its buoyancy. It lacks the opening be- 

 tween the lower slats to permit small lobsters to escape (see 

 Figure 7). Its greatest difference is in the use of a fine mesh 

 netting on the floor of the head as a sort of catwalk. The 



