﻿LOBSTEK 
  AND 
  CLAM 
  INVESTIGATIONS. 
  l7l 
  

  

  adverse 
  circumstances. 
  Formerh% 
  no 
  matter 
  what 
  devdce 
  was 
  used, 
  

   less 
  than 
  1 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  fry 
  could 
  be 
  reared 
  to 
  the 
  lobsterli 
  ng 
  stage. 
  

   With 
  this 
  apparatus, 
  in 
  an 
  environment 
  so 
  unfavorable 
  for 
  the 
  work 
  

   as 
  exists 
  at 
  Woods 
  Hole, 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  rear 
  10 
  or 
  12 
  per 
  cent, 
  

  

  3. 
  At 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  eggs 
  hatch 
  very 
  satisfactorily 
  in 
  the 
  bags, 
  and 
  

   probably 
  as 
  successfulh' 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  McDonald 
  hatching 
  jars. 
  The 
  fry 
  

   are 
  strong 
  and 
  active 
  and 
  grow 
  well. 
  

  

  4. 
  Although 
  the 
  diatoms 
  multipl}' 
  with 
  great 
  rapidity 
  in 
  the 
  bags 
  at 
  

   Woods 
  Hole, 
  and 
  therefore 
  endanger 
  successful 
  lobster 
  culture, 
  it 
  is 
  

   probable 
  that 
  exclusion 
  of 
  direct 
  sunlight 
  will 
  prevent 
  their 
  growth. 
  

  

  5. 
  Ground 
  menhaden 
  flesh 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  practical 
  food 
  for 
  the 
  

   young 
  lobsters. 
  

  

  DISCUSSION 
  OF 
  CERTAIN 
  PHASES 
  OF 
  THE 
  LOBSTER 
  PROBLEM. 
  

   FOOD 
  OF 
  LARV^. 
  

  

  The 
  young 
  lobster 
  comes 
  into 
  the 
  world 
  with 
  a 
  ravenous 
  appetite 
  

   which 
  is 
  rarely 
  satisfied 
  during 
  the 
  larval 
  period. 
  In 
  spite 
  of 
  this, 
  

   however, 
  he 
  is 
  something 
  of 
  an 
  epicure. 
  The 
  kinds 
  of 
  food 
  which 
  

   appeal 
  to 
  him 
  are 
  very 
  few, 
  and 
  on 
  this 
  account 
  the 
  food 
  supply 
  has 
  

   frequently 
  been 
  a 
  serious 
  question 
  in 
  the 
  coarse 
  of 
  these 
  investigations. 
  

   The 
  natural 
  food 
  consists 
  chiefly 
  of 
  the 
  minute 
  organisms 
  — 
  copepods, 
  

   fish 
  eggs, 
  very 
  young 
  fish, 
  etc. 
  — 
  so 
  abundant 
  near 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  

   ocean, 
  especially 
  in 
  sheltered 
  ba^^s 
  and 
  inlets. 
  All 
  our 
  efi'orts 
  to 
  

   nourish 
  the 
  fry 
  in 
  confinement 
  with 
  this 
  food, 
  however, 
  have 
  been 
  

   unsuccessful, 
  because 
  of 
  lack 
  of 
  constancy 
  in 
  the 
  supply. 
  It 
  is 
  neces- 
  

   sary 
  to 
  provide 
  suitable 
  artificial 
  food. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  experiments 
  of 
  1898 
  and 
  1899 
  Doctor 
  Bumpus 
  gave 
  much 
  atten- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  nourishment. 
  Finely 
  chopped 
  fish, 
  such 
  as 
  tau- 
  

   tog, 
  cunner, 
  flounder, 
  etc., 
  settled 
  to 
  the 
  bottom, 
  and 
  even 
  when 
  float- 
  

   ing 
  was 
  not 
  relished 
  b}^ 
  the 
  fry. 
  Shredded 
  codfish, 
  as 
  purchased 
  at 
  

   the 
  stores, 
  was 
  more 
  buoyant, 
  but 
  was 
  refused 
  by 
  the 
  lobsters. 
  Flesh 
  

   and 
  eggs 
  of 
  spider 
  crabs 
  and 
  other 
  crustaceans 
  were 
  little 
  better. 
  The 
  

   one 
  food 
  which 
  the 
  fry 
  seemed 
  to 
  prefer 
  above 
  all 
  others 
  was 
  the 
  

   so-called 
  lobster 
  liver 
  or 
  digestive 
  gland 
  of 
  the 
  adult. 
  This 
  gland 
  is 
  

   composed 
  of 
  numerous 
  small 
  tubules 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  easily 
  chopped 
  into 
  

   fine 
  particles, 
  and 
  the 
  oil 
  contained 
  keeps 
  the 
  bit 
  of 
  food 
  in 
  suspension 
  

   for 
  some 
  time. 
  The 
  young 
  lobsters, 
  especiall}^ 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  stage, 
  eat 
  

   this 
  food 
  with 
  great 
  avidity, 
  and 
  a 
  single 
  liver 
  is 
  sufiicient 
  to 
  feed 
  

   many 
  thousand. 
  Lobster 
  liver 
  was 
  used 
  quite 
  extensively 
  as 
  food 
  in 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  exjjeriments, 
  but 
  it 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  used 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  

   scale, 
  because 
  it 
  would 
  necessitate 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  many 
  lobsters 
  

   nearly 
  mature. 
  

  

  A 
  more 
  practical 
  food 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  investigations 
  at 
  Wickford 
  

   during 
  1900. 
  Here 
  the 
  fr}^ 
  were 
  fed 
  almost 
  entirely 
  upon 
  the 
  soft 
  

  

  