remaining in the floor pool gradually decreased in numbers. 

 ToAvards the end of September the pool was cleaned, and no 

 lobsterlings were found. When the roof tank was cleaned in 

 November a young lobster was found which measured 5 cm. 

 This one cast on May 17th, and now measures 5'5 cm. 



"We have thus at all events two young lobsters very nearly a 

 year old, which have been successfully reared from the egg. 



The small number of larvae which has been obtained each 

 year is doubtless due to the small area of the tanks in which the 

 berried lobsters have been placed. It appears therefore that the 

 first point of importance to be observ^ed is the provision of a 

 large pond for the reception of the berried lobsters and for the 

 hatching of the larvae. The pond would have to be placed also 

 in a position where a perfectly pure supply of sea water could be 

 obtained. In. America, Dr. Mead realised this by placing 

 hatching boxes on rafts in the sea, and he further provided for 

 the water in the boxes being kept in constant motion by the use 

 of revolving propellers. With this apparatus, he has been able 

 to rear 40 per cent, to the lobsterling stage, dealing with 

 quantities like 20,000 larvae in each box. On an exposed coast 

 like ours the difficulty would be to obtain a sheltered region 

 where the American plan could be adojDted. There is a pond at 

 Amble as I have pointed out before (Report for 1905), which 

 could be easily cleaned and converted into a centre for lobster 

 Cloture with the use of rearing ponds, or by adopting the 

 American method. Perhaps better success would attend the 

 establishment of a hatchery on the Fame Islands, if only on 

 account of the absolute purity of the water. The difficulty 

 would be to discover a place in such an exposed situation where 

 the operations could be conducted with safety, and there is the 

 further difficulty as to the transport of the berried lobsters to a 

 relatively inaccessible place. Still when the matter comes to be 

 considered, the claims of the Fame Islands must not be over- 

 looked. 



With such a pond as that indicated, a simple experiment 

 Avould be well worth trying, viz., to put a number of berried 

 lobsters into the pond and see whether it would be possible to 

 hatch and rear a reasonable percentage to the adult stage without 

 interference. 



