﻿LOBSTER 
  AND 
  CLAM 
  INVESTIGATIONS. 
  191 
  

  

  This 
  conclusion 
  seems 
  justified 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  also 
  bj^ 
  the 
  experi- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  the 
  special 
  commission 
  at 
  other 
  points 
  on 
  the 
  coast, 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  a 
  proper 
  food 
  suppW 
  seems 
  quite 
  

   as 
  important 
  as 
  the 
  temperature. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  the 
  temperature 
  affects 
  

   animals, 
  particularly 
  the 
  invertebrates 
  of 
  the 
  salt 
  water, 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  

   extent. 
  Their 
  activity 
  in 
  getting 
  about, 
  in 
  finding 
  and 
  capturing 
  their 
  

   food, 
  and 
  the 
  metabolism 
  of 
  that 
  food 
  depend 
  altogether 
  on 
  the 
  tem- 
  

   perature; 
  but 
  unless 
  proper 
  food 
  is 
  supplied 
  them 
  their 
  increased 
  

   activity 
  is 
  of 
  no 
  avail, 
  growth 
  does 
  not 
  occur, 
  and 
  the 
  temperature 
  

   consequently 
  has 
  no 
  influence 
  on 
  the 
  rapidity 
  of 
  their 
  development. 
  

  

  The 
  temperature 
  can, 
  of 
  course, 
  be 
  regulated 
  only 
  by 
  changing 
  the 
  

   location 
  of 
  the 
  rearing 
  apparatus. 
  The 
  food 
  supply 
  can 
  be 
  varied 
  at 
  

   will. 
  The 
  experiments 
  thus 
  far 
  made 
  with 
  different 
  foods 
  are 
  not 
  very 
  

   satisfactory, 
  and 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  this 
  question 
  deserves 
  more 
  atten- 
  

   tion 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  those 
  engaged 
  in 
  rearing 
  the 
  fry. 
  About 
  all 
  that 
  

   can 
  be 
  said 
  at 
  present 
  is 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  not 
  eat 
  finely 
  chopped 
  luussels, 
  

   starfish 
  liver, 
  beef 
  liver, 
  scup, 
  or 
  herring; 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  eat 
  finely 
  

   chopped 
  clams, 
  periwinkles, 
  blue 
  crabs, 
  lobster 
  liver, 
  and 
  menhaden. 
  

   Of 
  these, 
  the 
  clams 
  and 
  menhaden 
  have 
  proved 
  the 
  most 
  practicable, 
  

   though 
  at 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  the 
  former 
  were 
  difficult 
  to 
  obtain 
  and 
  the 
  lat- 
  

   ter 
  was 
  found 
  so 
  full 
  of 
  oil 
  that 
  the 
  water 
  and 
  bags 
  were 
  quickly 
  

   fouled 
  by 
  it. 
  Of 
  course 
  the 
  natural 
  food, 
  consisting 
  principally 
  of 
  

   small 
  copepods, 
  Crustacea, 
  diatoms, 
  and 
  algffi, 
  is 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  question, 
  

   because 
  of 
  the 
  impossibility 
  of 
  securing 
  it 
  in 
  sufficient 
  abundance. 
  

  

  In 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  food 
  thus 
  far 
  used 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  particu- 
  

   larly 
  favorable, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  possible 
  to 
  reduce 
  the 
  critical 
  period, 
  

   under 
  proper 
  conditions 
  of 
  temperature 
  and 
  feeding, 
  from 
  25 
  days 
  to 
  

   about 
  9 
  days. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  reason 
  why, 
  with 
  better 
  conditions 
  in 
  the 
  

   rearing 
  apparatus, 
  and 
  better 
  feeding, 
  perhaps 
  in 
  localities 
  better 
  

   adapted 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  temperature 
  is 
  concerned, 
  it 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  possible 
  to 
  

   still 
  further 
  hasten 
  these 
  changes. 
  If, 
  however, 
  this 
  shortest 
  period 
  

   were 
  made 
  the 
  average 
  period 
  for 
  all 
  experiments, 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  

   diatoms 
  would 
  not 
  seriously 
  menace 
  the 
  fry. 
  

  

  