REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 175 



THE FOOD OF LARVAL AND YOUNG LOBSTERS. 



The lobsters used for the work recorded here were taken from the 

 large hatching bags of the Wickford Station in July and August of 

 last year. The eggs were hatching rapidly at the time, and for this 

 reason the lobsters in each bag were nearly of the same age. The 

 lobsters were taken from the bags for examination at different times 

 and on different days, so as to avoid as far as possible accidental 

 factors. 



It is the rule of the station to put a generous supply of finely 

 chopped clams into each bag every three hours, and hence we may 

 infer that food other than particles of clam was taken, at least in the 

 majority of cases, in preference to the clam. 



Each lot of lobsters is started in a clean bag, but organisms drawn 

 into the bag through the bottom window seem unable or unwilling 

 to escape, probably because the rotatory current is much stronger 

 than the radial, outgoing, current, and soon a mass of plants and 

 animals is crowded into the bag. The algse and sessile diatoms 

 attach themselves to strings of clam cuticle which is not usually eaten 

 by the lobster, or to other fibrous matter, and sooner or later the 

 colonies become attached to the bag and, with the tubes of annelids 

 and araphipods, form a dense moss-like coating upon the bag. The 

 following forms were found in the bags or upon their walls: 



Acartia tonsa, very abundant. 



Centropages hamatus, very abundant. 



Amphipods, very abundant. 



Harpacticus chelifer. 



Diosaccus tenuicornis. 



Balanus eburneus, very abundant at times. 



Loxomacha impressa. 



Decapod larvse (crabs, shrimps ?). 



Many larval and young gastropods and bivalves. 



Caprella geometrica, abundant. 



