78 REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 



keep off the sun, in the hope that this would retard the growth of 

 the parasites, and the effect was apparently beneficial. This has 

 not been tried at Wickford. Much can be accomplished, perhaps, 

 by changing the bags more frequently, and especially by transfer- 

 ring the lobsters which have just entered the third stage into clean 

 bags. Various other devices have been suggested, but their prac- 

 ticability can be proved only by experiment. 



The method of liberating the lobsterlings after they have been car- 

 ried through the fourth stage calls for careful consideration. There 

 are, at first glance, several chances to be weighed and considered. 

 First, the chance of their finding a satisfactory place to burrow and 

 hide; second, the chance of their avoiding enemies; and third, that 

 of obtaining suitable food. If the lobsterlings are simply turned 

 overboard and scattered here and there in the midst of the Biay, they, 

 of course, have the same chance of becoming suitably settled in life 

 as those which reach this stage under natural conditions; but, if we 

 are to follow up the advantage gained by protecting the lobsters so 

 far, we must study carefully their habits and requirements after this 

 stage is reached. We have already made many observations on the 

 lobsters at this stage under conditions as nearly natural as can be ex- 

 pected when they are confined in small cars, protected from their 

 enemies and fed artificially. In these cars, which are furnished with 

 sand, gravel, shells, stones, broken tile and sea-weed, their habits of 

 burrowing, choice of hiding places, the time of day when they re- 

 main concealed and when they forage, can be observed; but we 

 know practically nothing of their movements ^'hen, for example, they 

 are liberated in deep water. A careful study of their behavior after 

 they have been liberated must be made in order to obtain the best 

 results. 



What we already know of their habits has suggested two meth- 

 ods of liberating. One is to put them overboard in a car to which 

 they have become accustomed, and which is provided with a wire 

 netting or some other device, so that the lobsters can leave the car, 

 while their enemies, fishes, crabs, etc., are kept out. There is an 



