﻿XLII 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  were 
  eggs 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  surface 
  tow 
  net 
  used. 
  Before 
  coming 
  to 
  any 
  

   definite 
  conclusions 
  on 
  tliis 
  point, 
  however, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   conduct 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  offshore 
  towings, 
  and 
  to 
  carefully 
  examine 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   under 
  a 
  microscope 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  note 
  tlieir 
  development, 
  if 
  impregnated, 
  

   and 
  to 
  compare 
  it 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  eggs 
  artifically 
  treated. 
  

  

  Lobsters. 
  — 
  The 
  Grmnpus, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  engaged 
  in 
  collecting 
  seed 
  

   lobsters 
  and 
  transferring 
  them 
  to 
  Gloucester, 
  was 
  instructed 
  to 
  cooper- 
  

   ate 
  with 
  the 
  Fish 
  Haick 
  on 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  in 
  Casco 
  Bay. 
  Dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  season 
  372 
  lobsters 
  were 
  received, 
  from 
  which 
  4,877,935 
  eggs 
  

   were 
  secured, 
  and 
  4,616,065 
  fry 
  hatched 
  and 
  liberated 
  2 
  miles 
  offshore, 
  

   directly 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  bay. 
  The 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  wind 
  and 
  the 
  

   current 
  were 
  considered 
  in 
  making 
  the 
  plants, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  i)rovide 
  against 
  

   the 
  fry 
  being 
  swept 
  towaid 
  the 
  shore. 
  

  

  Experiments 
  were 
  also 
  conducted 
  in 
  the 
  holding 
  of 
  lobster 
  fry. 
  They 
  

   were 
  placed 
  in 
  boxes 
  with 
  a 
  good 
  circulation 
  of 
  water, 
  individually 
  and 
  

   in 
  lots 
  of 
  fifty, 
  rock, 
  gravel, 
  and 
  rockweed 
  being 
  provided 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  

   imitate 
  as 
  nearly 
  as 
  possible 
  the 
  conditions 
  of 
  nature. 
  They 
  were 
  fed 
  

   with 
  towings 
  from 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  ledges. 
  

   It 
  was 
  soon 
  found 
  that 
  they 
  would 
  not 
  live 
  under 
  these 
  conditions, 
  and 
  

   they 
  were 
  removed 
  to 
  floating 
  boxes 
  in 
  the 
  supply 
  tank 
  and 
  overboard. 
  

   Notwithstanding 
  these 
  eftbrts 
  it 
  was 
  impossible 
  to 
  keep 
  them 
  alive 
  

   longer 
  than 
  13 
  days. 
  Death 
  was 
  not 
  caused 
  by 
  starvation, 
  as 
  their 
  

   stomachs 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  contain 
  such 
  food 
  as 
  copepods, 
  diatoms, 
  vege- 
  

   table 
  debris, 
  and 
  fragments 
  of 
  alga'. 
  In 
  but 
  few 
  instances 
  could 
  the 
  

   mortality 
  be 
  attributed 
  to 
  cannibalism, 
  as 
  only 
  one 
  specimen 
  of 
  the 
  

   many 
  examined 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  contain 
  any 
  portion 
  of 
  a 
  lobster. 
  It 
  was 
  

   also 
  noticed 
  that 
  those 
  confined 
  separately 
  lived 
  no 
  longer 
  than 
  those 
  

   in 
  lots 
  of 
  fifty. 
  

  

  Toward 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  young 
  lobsters 
  in 
  the 
  second, 
  third, 
  

   and 
  fourth 
  stages 
  of 
  molting 
  appeared 
  in 
  the 
  jars 
  which 
  contained 
  

   eggs 
  and 
  fry 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  stages. 
  Most 
  of 
  these 
  when 
  first 
  noticed 
  must 
  

   have 
  been 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  weeks 
  old. 
  As 
  the 
  increase 
  in 
  size 
  became 
  

   apparent 
  they 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  jar 
  by 
  themselves 
  and 
  fed 
  on 
  lobster 
  

   eggs. 
  They 
  were 
  brought 
  to 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  on 
  the 
  return 
  of 
  the 
  vessel 
  on 
  

   July 
  31, 
  but 
  they 
  all 
  died 
  the 
  night 
  of 
  the 
  arrival, 
  probably 
  because 
  of 
  

   the 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  which 
  showed 
  an 
  increase 
  

   of 
  10°. 
  They 
  had 
  passed 
  the 
  fourth 
  stage 
  and 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  character- 
  

   istics 
  of 
  the 
  adult; 
  tlie 
  largest 
  were 
  over 
  five 
  eighths 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  

   length. 
  'Of 
  adult 
  lobsters 
  handled 
  during 
  the 
  season, 
  332 
  were 
  liberated 
  

   in 
  open 
  waters 
  and 
  40 
  died 
  in 
  transportation. 
  

  

  Battery 
  Station, 
  Maryland 
  (Alex. 
  Jones 
  in 
  charge). 
  

  

  Ice 
  disappeared 
  from 
  the 
  Susquehanna 
  early 
  in 
  March, 
  and,' 
  as 
  reports 
  

   from 
  the 
  lower 
  i)art 
  of 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  indicated 
  a 
  very 
  early 
  season, 
  

   the 
  station 
  was 
  gotten 
  ready 
  for 
  operations 
  by 
  April 
  1, 
  and 
  on 
  April 
  8 
  

   the 
  first 
  lot 
  of 
  eggs 
  were 
  received. 
  The 
  weather 
  turned 
  cool, 
  however, 
  

   and 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  remained 
  so 
  low 
  that 
  the 
  full 
  force 
  of 
  

   employees 
  was 
  not 
  taken 
  on 
  until 
  April 
  19. 
  From 
  that 
  date 
  collections 
  

  

  