5^^ . ^ . 



262 S. I. Smith — Early Stages of the American Lobster. 



In life the eyes are bright blue ; the anterior portion and the lower 

 margin of the carapax and the bases of the legs are speckled with 

 orange ; the lower margin, the whole of the peniiltimate, and the 

 basal portion of the ultimate segment of the abdomen, are brilliant 

 reddish orange. 



In this stage the larvfe were first taken July 1, when they were 

 seen swimming rapidly about at the surface of the Avater among great 

 numbers of zoeie, megalops, and copeopods. Their motions and 

 habits recall at once the species of Mysis and Thysanopoda, but 

 their motions are not quite as rapid and are more irregular. They 

 were frequently taken at the surface in diiferent parts of Vineyard 

 Sound from July 1 to 7, and several were taken off Newport, Rhode 

 Island, as late as July 15, and they would very likely be found also 

 in June, judging from the stage of development to which the embryos 

 had advanced early in May in Long Island Sound. Besides the spe- 

 cimens taken in the open water of the Sound, a great number was ob- 

 tained, July 6, from the well of a lobster-smack, where they were 

 swimming in great abundance near the surface of the water, having 

 undoubtedly been recently hatched from the eggs carried by the 

 female lobsters confined in the well. Some of these specimens lived 

 in vessels of fresh sea-water for two days, but all eftbrts to keep them 

 alive long enough to observe their molting failed. They appeared, 

 while thus in confinement, to feed principally upon very minute ani- 

 mals of different kinds, but were several times seen to devour small 

 zoeae, and occasionally when much crowded, so that some of them be- 

 came exliausted, they fed upon each other, the stronger ones eating the 

 weaker. 



Second larval stage. 



In this stage the larvie have increased somewhat in size, and rudi- 

 mentary appendages have appeared iipon the second to the fifth seg- 

 ments of the abdomen. 



The carapax is proportionally a little narrower than in the first 

 stage and the cervical suture is a little more distinctly indicated. 

 The rostrum (plate XV, fig. 2, enlarged 10 diameters) is much 

 broader at base, more triangular in outline, and is armed on each side 

 toward the base with three or four teeth, the terminal portion being 

 slender, acute and unarmed. The number of teeth upon the sides of 

 the rostrum vary somewhat in different specimens and often on the 

 different sides of the same specimen. In all, however, there is a stout 

 tooth each side over the eye and either two or three smaller ones in 

 front of it. 



