272 REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 



indicate the number of days after the molt before the mutilations 

 were made. 



b. Tabulations of Results. 



Table IV contains the record of the date of molt, and the length 

 of the molting period for each of the normal lobsters in series B. 

 The specimens which died or were injured during the course of the 

 experiment were discarded and are not included in the table. 



The data for the ten series of mutilated lobsters are arranged in 

 Table V. The records for each series contain the data of molt, the 

 time of mutilation, the length of the molting period, and the condi- 

 tion of every specimen before and after each molt. The data for 

 the individuals which had not regenerated the chelipeds by the 

 time of molting are placed in a separate column, as may be seen in 

 the table. 



A fact in connection with lobsters Nos. 43, 44, 45, and 46 in Table 

 IV is worthy of note at this place. It may be seen by examining the 

 table that by August 8 all the normal lobsters had molted to the fifth 

 stage, but there were still four specimens left which did not molt 

 till several days later. This tardiness in molting aroused suspicion, 

 and a closer examination was made to ascertain whether these four 

 lobsters were really in a normal condition. It was most interesting 

 to discover that, without exception, each of these specimens had received 

 injuries on the ventral side of the abdomen: three of the specimens 

 were each regenerating a swimmeret, and on the fourth lobster as 

 many as five of the swimmerets were missing. This case seems es- 

 pecially interesting because, unintentionally, it is again shown 

 that the tendency of regeneration is to retard the rate of molting. 



