INLAND FISHERIES. 73 



readied three or ionr inches iu depth. The habit of burrowing- 

 was also noted even in fourth stage lobsters, and was continued 

 throughout the later stages. When food (chopped clams or fish) 

 was placed in the cars, the lobsters came stealthily out of their 

 hiding-places, and having graljbed a morsel, retreated backward 

 into their holes, guarding the entrance with their big claws. 



They appeared to avoid travelling about in the day-time, but at 

 night and just at dawn could be seen quietly moving along on the 

 ground. Occasionally, for some unaccountable reason, some of 

 the specimens, even when more than an inch long, would take 

 to swimming rapidly around the car, but for the greater part of 

 the time they appeared to be contented with their surroundings ; 

 so much so, indeed, that when a storm on September 12 broke 

 loose the screens on the sides, and nothing prevented their es- 

 cape, a large number appeared to prefer remaining where they 

 were. 



One important point which has been demonstrated is that the 

 lobster, after reaching the fourth stage, can easily be kept in an 

 enclosure, and will thrive with much less care than is required by 

 those of the early stages. As soon as they reach the fourth stage 

 they should be transferred to a car or enclosure provided with a 

 sandy or gravelly bottom, for when they are kept in other cars 

 they do not thrive so well and are apt to become foul with various 

 parasitic growths. I have seen specimens in the fourth stage that 

 were covered with green algse half an inch long, so that by a casual 

 examination one could not have told that they were lobsters. 



A considerable number of these specimens were kept through- 

 out the fall and winter, and on December 22 half a dozen were 

 taken out and subsequently carried to Washington alive and placed 

 in the aquarium of the U. S. Fish Commission. 



Some interesting facts were learned in regard to the rate of 

 growth. The most rapid growth took place between July and the 

 middle of September. This is natural because of the low temper- 

 ature in the later fall, and more especially because they were 

 seldom fed after the middle of September. The size of some of 



