102 REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 



of 100 larval lobsters he found 37 per cent, of the lobsters with cope- 

 pods and only 8 per cent, with clam; 4 per cent, with insects, 3 per 

 €ent. wdth parts of lobsters which they had eaten in a cannibalistic 

 manner; the stomach contents of 11 per cent, of the lobsters con- 

 tained matter classed as "unrecognizable," and the stomachs of the 

 remaining 28 per cent, were empty (p. 177). 



In spite of the fact, however, that these free-swimming organisms 

 furnish a normal food, the practical difficulty and uncertainty of 

 securing a constant supply .has not favored utilizing this natural 

 food on any large scale, as would be necessary in the lobster hatching. 

 Moreover, in catching the copepods it is practically impossible to 

 prevent taking other undesirable organisms in the net, such as 

 diatoms and shrimp. Both of these organisms are injurious to the 

 young lobsters, for the diatoms attach themselves to the lobsters 

 and greatly retard their growth, and the shrimp eat them. 



d. The Soft-Shelled Clam. 



One of the most satisfactory foods thus far tried has been the 

 soft-shelled clam. Dr. A. D. Mead, of Brown University, in his 

 report as director of Experiment Station of the Rhode Island Fish 

 Commission for 1902, observes "that the fry decidedly prefer an 

 animal to a vegetable diet, and in providing an animal food it is 

 necessary to select a tissue which can easily be shredded or crumbled 

 into small pieces. . . . The best food so far discovered is the 

 soft parts of clams. The bodies of the clams are cut out and 

 chopped into fine pieces in a chopping tray, and then thrown into the 

 water" (p. 38*). 



Since 1902 the clam has been adopted as the best food for lobster 

 rearing purposes. Mr. E. W. Barnes, assistant superintendent of 

 the Wickford Experiment Station, has described among the ad- 

 vantages of the soft-shelled clam as a food, its lightness and absence 



* 32nd Annual Report of the Rhode Island Commission of Inland Fisheries, 1902. 



