486 Transactions. 



settle the question. During the season that the " whale-feed " 

 are found in the ocean and the bay, the stomachs of almost all 

 fish, excluding flat fish, have then been found to contain large 

 numbers of them, and it is certain that they constitute one of 

 the most important fish-foods, and no doubt play a considerable 

 part in the migrations of many fishes. 



Introduction of Lobsters. 



The desirability of introducing this valuable crustacean into 

 these seas, a description of the pond for their reception, and 

 other notes on the subject, are to be found in vol. xxx of the 

 " Transactions of the New Zealand Institute." 



Thirteen " berried " females and twelve males were procured 

 by Dr. E. H. Allen, Director of the Marine Biological Station at 

 Plymouth, and were forwarded to London by rail, for shipment 

 by the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company's steamship " Kara- 

 mea." The claws of each lobster were tied, and each fish wrapped 

 in scrim ; they were then placed in two fish-baskets and sent on 

 by rail at 10 p.m. on the 8th May, 1906. They arrived safely 

 on board the " Karamea " at noon of the next day, fourteen 

 hours out of water, when they were at once placed in the tanks 

 prepared for their reception. As it was not deemed advisable 

 to use the foul and brackish water of the Thames, the tanks were 

 filled with water from a ballast-tank which had been filled previous 

 to entering the river. In this water they remained two days, 

 during which the water was only renewed tmce, and it was not 

 until the third day that a regular flow was maintained by means 

 of a pipe leading from the salt-water circulatory system. The 

 temperature of the water in the Enghsh Channel was 51° Fahr., 

 gradually rising until the maximum of 84° was reached on the 

 22nd May. A constant supply of water was maintained by 

 means of a | in. rubber hose at first, but was replaced on the 

 17th by a 2| in. hose, as the lobsters were looking very seedy, 

 and the engineer considered that a larger flow was necessary. 

 The supply-pipe was formed into a treble coil enclosed in a 

 forty-gallon cask, which was filled with ice, renewed daily ; but 

 owing to the large volume of water and the rapidity with which 

 it passed through the chamber, this apparatus proved altogether 

 inadequate for the purpose of reducing the temperature of the 

 water sufficiently, and only effected a reduction of 2° Fahr. 



From the first the lobsters appear to have been very sluggish 

 in their movements. This was no doubt due to their lengthy stay 

 out of water, and their two days' confinement in stagnant ballast- 

 tank water. Their vitality appears to have been so much im- 

 paired by this that they were unable to withstand the high 

 temperatures which were soon encountered. 



