LOBSTER INVESTIGATIONS 59 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 38a 



water from 58,°, which is our average temperature, up to 70° will require the com- 

 bustion of about 250 pounds of coal per day of twenty-four hours. 



As the enlarged Wickford plant is composed of fifty-two boxes, the total consump- 

 tion of coal for the rearing season of two months would amount to about 300 tons. 

 Accordingly, to the regular expense of running a Wickford plant of fifty-two boxes, 

 namely, wages of five men, gasoline, oil, food for the larvae, wear and tear, there 

 would have to be added in Canada the wages of an extra engineer and fireman, besides 

 the cost of the 300 tons of coal. 



WINTEEING IX THE POUND. 



Next to the leakage of water, the feature which attracted most attention at Long 

 Beach during the early season of 1915 was the pitiable condition of the lobsters which 

 had wintered in the pound. They were simply covered with growths of green, brown, 

 and orange coloured algae. The green measured from 1 to 3 inches in length, the 

 brown from several inches to three feet, and the orange-coloured ones about one-quarter 

 to one-half inch. These latter grew not alone on the body, but over the eyes, and 

 rendered them blind, at least for the time being. Their gills varied in colour from 

 grey to almost black, strongly suggesting that the function of these organs was 

 impaired by a coating of the black mud in which they were compelled to live during 

 the year. 



The animals which had passed the winter in the pond were distinctly better. 

 They were not so much infested with algae, but the effects of their confinement became 

 very apparent when they were compared with the commercial lobsters which were\ 

 placed in the pond between May 10 and June 15. In the former the natural colours 

 of the body were completely hidden by the grey mud and copious growth of weeds 

 which they carried, whereas the latter showed the bright colours characteristic of the 

 normal lobster. Moreover, the commercial ones were free from algal growths, and 

 their gills exhibited the well-known flesh colour. The difference between pond and 

 pound lobsters, on the one hand, and commercial lobsters, on the other, was comparable 

 to the difference between the dirt and rags of a tramp and the cleanliness and dress of 

 a gentleman. 



CONFINEMENT. 



The fundamental conditions for a healthy life are very much the same for 

 lobsters as for other animals. They must have plenty of food, well-ventilated water, 

 adequate exercise alternated with rest, and diffused sunlight. How many of these 

 conditions can be said to be freely supplied to a lobster that passes all of its time in 

 a crate, car, box, compartment of the pound, or even in the pound itself? One hag 

 hut to think of the ill effects of confinement upon wild animals, or even upon domes- 

 ticated animals, to realize how harmful it is. Human beings, whose occupation con- 

 fines them much in factories, shops, or offices, and those who are confined in jails, 

 asylums, or detention camps — all suffer more or less from their confinement. Is not 

 the spread of tuberculosis among cattle largely due to their confinement in ill-ventilated 

 stables? Do not zoological gardens also show instances of deterioration in health, due 

 to the violation of the fundamental laws of biology? Lobsters can be no exceptiou 

 to the rule. When kept in confinement we cannot expect to find them in the same 

 condition of health and vitality as when they live in the open sea. No wild animal 

 flourishes so well in confinement as in the open. Liberty of movement is essential to 

 health. It matters not whether lobsters are retained in small or large enclosures, or, 

 for that matter, in the whole pond, the ill-effects upon the lobsters soon become 

 apparent. In the case of the smaller crates and cars, the animals soon die. In the 



