68 



DEPARTMENT OF THE NATAL SERVICE 



8 GEORGE V, A. 1918 



Of course, there may be other causes at work, besides lack of facilities for mating, 

 to account for the small number of berried females. If so, these causes must be studied 

 and, if possible, removed. But, at any rate, no one can be blind enough to overlook 

 the significance of the mating experiments of last year and this. 



THE EVERYDAY LIFE OF THE LOBSTER. 



While our lobster-rearing experiments at Long Beach pond, both last year and this, 

 resulted in failure, it cannot be said that the two seasons' work was entirely barren of 

 results. Apart from the observations which have been made on mating, and which, it 

 is hoped, may prove even more useful to the lobster industry than any success which 

 might have been achieved in lobster rearing, we have been able to make some contribu- 

 tions to our knowledge of the every day life of the lobster. 



Very early in our operations of this year it was decided to use but two rearing 

 boxes, instead of four. The other two were fitted up with shelters, or nests, for the 

 study of adults. 



Obeservations were made every day from July 20 to August 6, when the animals 

 had to be removed. The excesive leakage from the pound left our boxes resting in the 

 mud, and contributed not a little to bring about the death of several adults, through 

 the lack of properly aerated water. 



POSTURES. 



When performing certain functions, for example, cleaning themselves, egg-laying, 

 fighting, etc., the adults took up certain appropriate postures. One of these, which 

 may be spoken of as the cleaning posture, was first observed among lobsters which had 

 wintered in either pond or pound. Within a week after these animals had been placed 



Fig. 6. — Thii iii..oLiciLioii 1.-. liwii, a lobster cast which has been shaped to 

 resemble the posture of a mother lobster when hatching her eggs. The swim- 

 merets are visible under the abdomen and these are moved gently backwards and 

 forwards in the water so as to assist in liberating the young from the "shell". 

 This same posture is taken when the animal is cleaning itself. 



in the rearing box, their appearance had changed very much for the better. No lady in 

 the land could spend more time on her toilet than these lob|Sters did in cleaning 

 themselves. They did not, of course, wash, massage, paint or powder their faces, nor did 

 they curl their hair, but they did spend days and days in attempts to free themselves 

 from the excessive growth of algae, which covered almost every part of their body. 



