THE STOMACH OF THE LOBSTER AND THE FOOD OF 

 LARVAL LOBSTERS. 



LEONARD W. WILLIAMS, PH. D. 



The external anatomy of the bizarre and attractive larval lobsters 

 has been studied, described, and figured with great care, but the 

 internal anatomy of these forms has received scant attention, and 

 for this reason we hope that the work recorded here will be of interest. 



The Commission of Inland Fisheries of Rhode Island is studying 

 the various problems, anatomical, biological, and physiological, 

 concerning the natural history of the lobster in connection with its 

 experimental and economic work of hatching and rearing lobsters 

 at the Wickford station. As a part of this work, we were asked to 

 investigate the food of the larval lobsters in the hatching and rear- 

 ing bags of the station. While examining the alimentary canal of 

 many lobsters we discovered the metamorphosis of the stomach 

 which we here figure and describe. This work naturally demanded 

 an understanding of the adult stomach, and, not finding satisfactory 

 descriptions of the structure and functions of the adult stomach, we 

 were compelled to extend our work to include the anatomy of the 

 stomach of lobsters of all ages. 



We "are indebted to the Commissioners of Inland Fisheries, espe- 

 cially to Dr. A. D. Mead, for the opportunity to do this work, and to 

 Mr. V. E. Emmel and to Mr. P. B. Hadley for the use of serial sections 

 of young lobsters prepared by them. 



