10 



covered on the top with galvanised wire netting, having a 

 padlocked door at one side, for the purpose of giving access 

 to examine the lobsters and for cleaning purposes. By 

 means of a hole bored in the bottom, and fitted with a 

 plug, the tank can be completely emptied. 



The first lobster was put in on June 27th, it is a male 

 measuring then 8j inches in length, and was caught by 

 Mr. Wright on the scar near the moorings of the police 

 boat. By October 7th other six lobsters had been caught 

 on the scar and placed in the tank ; one of these, a small 

 male measuring 4j inches, subsequently escaped through 

 the meshes of the wire netting. Of the six remaining 

 lobsters, two are females, and four males ; they have 

 apparently become quite accustomed to their new sur- 

 roundings and are very lively. Abundance of food is 

 supplied by the fishery officers, in the form of dead and 

 living fish ; the lobsters may also be able to capture in the 

 tank small Crustacea, such as young shrimps, etc., which 

 are fairly abundant in the neighbourhood. 



Along with the lobsters, a few crabs measuring about 

 4|- inches across, were also put in the tank, and these 

 seem to be doing equally well ; one of the crabs has cast 

 its shell. 



So far as the experiment has gone, it tends to show 

 that it is possible to keep lobsters alive in captivity at 

 Piel, and that they will remain in a healthy condition. 

 The next point that remains to be seen is, when we get 

 the ova, whether it is possible to hatch out the young 

 lobsters and carry them through the early stages in their 

 life-history. With the new laboratory at Piel in working 

 order there should be no great difficulty in doing so. 



