REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 



159 



Herrick, having determined the average percentage of increase per 

 molt as 15.3, and the average length of the first stage larva as 7.84 

 mm. constructs the following systematic scheme to show the prob- 

 able lengths of lobsters in all the later stages from 1 to 30, a period of 

 time which would represent the life of the lobster from time of hatch- 

 ing to the attainment of very great size : 



Table No. 4. 



{Herrick's Table No. 26.) Estimated length of lobsters during the first 

 30 



2. Frequency of the Molting Period. 



Next arises the question of the time interval between the suc- 

 cessive molts. Herrick considers several cases of young lobsters 

 which have fallen under his observation and concludes that a lobster 

 one year old has molted 14 to 17 times and has attained an average 

 length of from 2 to 3 inches. Regarding the molting period of larger 

 lobsters, Herrick makes reference to Brook ('87). This observer 

 kept a female lobster 6xf inches long, for 506 days, during which time 

 it gained 2^ inches in 4 molts: 



