28 UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES OF MARINE FISHERIES. 
Though this was a very rough and ready way, it proved of con- 
siderable use, for the young lobsters, immediately after hatching 
out, found their way through the perforated bottom of the tanks 
into the sea. A single lobster may have anything from 5000 
to 100,000 eggs, so that it will be seen that the destruction of 
these is a grievous waste. Many attempts have been made to 
rear young lobsters, but with only partial success, for by nature 
they are cannibals, and the loss from this cause when they are 
kept in confinement is enormous. Some years ago I had the 
opportunity of seeing the then most approved method of hatch- 
ing young lobsters. The eggs were placed in glass jars, and a 
current of sea water was made to flow through them from under- 
neath by means of a glass tube reaching to the bottom of each 
jar. When I saw them, the young lobsters had all hatched out, 
and they looked like a swarm of small yellow ants. These 
youngsters were to be liberated in a few days, and it was sur- 
prising to see what a small space was required for the hatching 
of many millions of eggs. Since then I saw in an American 
fishery report that a method has been devised for rearing young 
lobsters up to a stage when they are easily dealt with. The 
idea is an ingenious one. By means of a small engine and 
pump a rotary current is kept up, which keeps the tiny crustacea 
in a continual swirl, so that they have no time for fighting and 
eating each other, and in spite of this somewhat drastic treat- 
ment they seem to thrive. 
A NATIONAL DANGER. 
Great strides have been made in the past forty years in the 
development of inland fisheries owing to the benefit which is 
derived by individuals undertaking this work. With marine 
fisheries the case is different. Any attempt to cultivate the fish 
in the sea is a matter not for individuals but for the community, 
which it will ultimately benefit. Much valuable work has and 
is still being done by the various Fishery Boards, but the apathy _ 
on the part of those to be benefited is very discouraging. The | 
fishermen are not altogether to blame for this, for they, have 
little time to devote to anything but the catching of fish, and 
while year after year improved appliances are helping to secure 
the harvest of the sea, little is being done to ensure its continu- — 
ance. When a fishing ground is played out a move is made to 
