REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 145 



preferable, as it creates a market for the egg lobsters and takes away 

 the incentive to scrape off the green eggs; also, since the time in 

 which they may be collected is longer, a greater number of egg 

 lobsters can be secured. In case the egg lobsters are shipped 

 some distance, care should be taken not to allow the ice to come 

 in contact with the lobsters, as the fresh water from the melting ice 

 will kill most of the eggs. If it is necessary to use ice in shipment, 

 it should be so arranged that neither the ice nor the fresh water 

 come in contact with the lobsters or with the eggs. 



The lobsters obtained are confined in covered cars divided into two 

 compartments, each five feet square, and with a water depth of two 

 feet. As the lobsters which are to be put in these compartments are 

 more or less crow^ded together, it is necessary to secure their claws 

 in some way to prevent fighting, which may result in killing or 

 mutilating one another, or at least in scraping off the eggs. Tying 

 their claws with string or wire, winding with canvas bandages, or 

 putting on mittens made of some cheap cloth, and plugging the claws 

 with wooden plugs have all been tried. Of these three the winding 

 with canvas bandages is preferable; but the bandages invariably 

 work off from one or two, and then the others are at their mercy. 

 The surest way is to insert wooden plugs just outside of the movable 

 jaw of their claw^s. This at first was avoided, for fear of injuring the 

 lobsters, but it was found that very little if any injury was caused by 

 this plugging. The use of the claw is very quickly restored after the 

 plvig is removed, and the lobster seems to be none the worse for it. 

 This practice is employed by lobstermen everywhere where lobsters 

 are kept in cars. 



As the season progresses, usually about the first of May, the 

 lobsters are looked over. One who has had experience can tell at 

 a glance about how soon the eggs of a lobster will hatch. The lobsters 

 that will hatch their eggs about the same time are put in compart- 

 ments together. Too much care can not be exercised in keeping 

 them picked over. 



