270 REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 



of individuals would eliminate the irregularities in contour of the 

 curves and make them very similar in outline. 



In regard to the value and conclusive character of these results 

 it seems desirable to emphasize the fact that both series of lobsters 

 (i. e. series A and A4) at the beginning of the experiment molted 

 to the same stage on the same day; were practically equal in size, and 

 all in a normal condition. The only difference between these two 

 series was that in four days after the beginning of the experiment 

 the process of regeneration was introduced into one, with the result 

 that the process of molting was delayed in the regenerating series 

 to such a degree that the average length of the molting period was 

 18 per cent, longer than the corresponding period for the normal 

 series. 



The fact that the effect of regeneration seems to vary according 

 to the time of mutilation, as shown in series A^ as compared with 

 series A4, will be considered under the next section. 



The results, however, of this experiment, together with the 

 results of previous observations, and the experiments to be described 

 later, indicate very conclusively that the molting activities of the 

 lobster can be retarded by the process of regeneration. 



3. 



The Influence of the Time at Which the Process of Regenera- 

 tion IS Introduced into the Period Between Molts, 

 UPON THE Length of that Period. 



In the description of the experiments of the last section it was 

 observed that there were reasons for expecting that a regeneration 

 which began immediately after a molt might not greatly influence 

 the length of the molting period. That this expectation was justified 

 may be seen by comparing the length of the molting period of series 

 Ai with the corresponding periods for series A and A4. The data 

 shows that while in the one case, where the mutilations were made 

 four days after the molt, the resulting regeneration lengthened the 



