REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 177 



Table Showing the Contents of the Stomach of One Hundred Larval 

 AND Fourth-Stage Lobsters. 



•=One decapod larva; 1 amphipod ?. 



The number of copepods found in the stomachs of the second and 

 third-stage lobsters is very surprising, and, although it must be taken 

 in connection with the fact that copepods swarm in the bags, it seems 

 to indicate that these larvae prefer live copepods to dead clams. 



The absence of parts of larval lobsters is quite astonishing, in 

 view of the well-known omnivorousness and cannibalism of lobsters, 

 and we believe that this indicates that a lobster in the presence of 

 abundant food will not attack his kind. In thi& connection one 

 record is particularly interesting: a number of fourth-stage lobsters 

 which had not been fed for several hours were examined and the 

 stomachs were empty or contained masses of the cuticle of the clam 

 which is regularly rejected by the lobster. Moreover, some of these 

 hungry lobsters left in a finger bowl did not attack one another, i. e., 

 lobsters hungry enough to eat what they ordinarily refuse will not 

 attack one another (unless, perhaps, one or more of the number. is 

 newly molted). 



The insects eaten are found floating on the water, sometimes alive, 

 for we saw a full grown cricket fall into a tub containing fourth-stage 



