ABOUT LOBSTERS 87 



A number of the globes were made by a glass blower. 

 They contained different gases and varying amounts of 

 mercury, in the hope that some combination might be found 

 that would light up with little movement; but they were not 

 successful. 



In desperation, the investigator hunted for some means 

 other than ocean currents to shake the glass. In a tank test, 

 he tried attaching the snout of a lobster (which would be 

 left in the pot) by a cord to the globe. When the lobster 

 jerked violently backward it would produce a tiny flash in 

 the globe. In a pot, the light did not prove to be bright 

 enough to attract a lobster; and the lobster proved to tire 

 quickly of his backward jerking and became quiet. 



Pursuing the idea of reflected light, our man next ex- 

 perimented with a wide variety of sheet plastic vanes to be 

 hung in pots. These were white, usually twisted in a shal- 

 low spiral, and mounted with swivels to rotate in ocean cur- 

 rents. Others were coated with different colors of luminous 

 paints such as used on lobster pot buoys. None of them was 

 effective. 



The next experiments were made with an electric light 

 mounted inside of a Mason jar. The thought behind these 

 trials was that there might be some rays in the radium-salt 

 lights which were repellent to lobsters. An electric light 

 might not have such repellent rays. A tiny bulb was used, 

 of the sort used by doctors to examine the inner ear. It was 

 connected to flashlight batteries, and would burn for several 

 days. It also was ineffective. 



Maine Coast Fisherman, in June 1956, carried an article 

 by an Orrs Island lobsterman describing his success in using 

 white coffee mugs as his only bait. This did not seem pos- 

 sible in view of the many light-reflecting tests which had 

 been made. But, so as not to overlook any bets, a dozen 

 mugs were tested— and they caught nothing. 



To try a diffused instead of a concentrated light, a sil- 

 vered Christmas tree ball was hung in a pot. The spherical 

 surface reflected light in all directions from its upper hemi- 

 sphere. Also, and for the same purpose, white glass marbles 



