﻿REPOKT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  29 
  

  

  preventing 
  tliem 
  from 
  sticking 
  together. 
  The 
  hatching 
  was 
  done 
  in 
  

   the 
  modified 
  McDonald 
  tidal 
  box. 
  

  

  Lobster. 
  — 
  The 
  collection 
  of 
  egg 
  lobsters 
  commenced 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  

   vicinity 
  of 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  abont 
  April 
  10. 
  As 
  the 
  season 
  advanced 
  the 
  

   territory 
  was 
  extended, 
  and 
  the 
  services 
  of 
  two 
  fishing 
  smacks 
  were 
  

   ntilized, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  launch 
  Cygnet. 
  Messengers 
  were 
  also 
  sent 
  

   to 
  New 
  Bedford, 
  New 
  London, 
  Noank, 
  and 
  other 
  points, 
  where 
  lobsters 
  

   were 
  held 
  in 
  live-cars 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen. 
  The 
  collections 
  at 
  different 
  

   points 
  vary 
  from 
  year 
  to 
  year. 
  The 
  grounds 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  best 
  collec- 
  

   tions 
  were 
  made 
  four 
  years 
  ago 
  yielded 
  less 
  this 
  year 
  than 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  

   others. 
  The 
  collecting 
  season 
  was 
  continued 
  to 
  July 
  13, 
  and 
  resulted 
  

   in 
  a 
  total 
  take 
  of 
  5,909 
  lobsters, 
  which 
  yielded 
  90,000,000 
  eggs. 
  From 
  

   these 
  83,707,000 
  fry 
  w^ere 
  hatched 
  and 
  planted 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  New 
  

   London, 
  Noank, 
  and 
  Nantucket, 
  also 
  in 
  Buzzards 
  Bay, 
  Vineyard 
  Sound, 
  

   and 
  Great 
  Harbor, 
  The 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  lobsters 
  secured 
  after 
  July 
  

   1 
  were 
  from 
  New 
  London 
  and 
  Noank. 
  It 
  is 
  recommended 
  that 
  regular 
  

   collections 
  be 
  made 
  next 
  year 
  at 
  these 
  two 
  points, 
  also 
  at 
  Westport, 
  

   R. 
  L, 
  Nantucket, 
  Block 
  Island, 
  and 
  Plymouth. 
  This 
  would 
  enlarge 
  

   very 
  materially 
  the 
  field 
  of 
  collection, 
  and 
  would 
  probably 
  result 
  in 
  

   doubling 
  the 
  output 
  of 
  the 
  station. 
  

  

  Early 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  lobsters 
  are 
  hard 
  and 
  stand 
  

   transportation 
  well, 
  but 
  in 
  advanced 
  stages 
  they 
  are 
  delicate 
  and 
  

   quickly 
  affected 
  by 
  rough 
  handling 
  or 
  sudden 
  changes 
  in 
  temperature. 
  

   Experiments 
  were 
  conducted 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  determine 
  how 
  soon 
  after 
  

   the 
  new 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  parent 
  lobster 
  and 
  

   hatched 
  artificially. 
  The 
  observations 
  were 
  continued 
  from 
  the 
  first 
  

   appearance 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  in 
  July 
  until 
  spring, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  

   those 
  removed 
  before 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  October 
  would 
  not 
  live. 
  In 
  

   November 
  15,000,000 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  jars 
  and 
  carried 
  through 
  the 
  win- 
  

   ter, 
  and 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  many 
  difficulties 
  exi)erienced, 
  50 
  per 
  cent 
  

   of 
  them 
  hatched. 
  

  

  Tautog. 
  — 
  The 
  first 
  eggs 
  were 
  taken 
  on 
  June 
  8, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  

   the 
  season 
  (July 
  1) 
  31,431,000 
  had 
  been 
  secured. 
  They 
  were 
  hatched 
  

   in 
  the 
  McDonald 
  hatching-box, 
  and 
  yielded 
  17,575,000 
  fry, 
  which 
  were 
  

   liberated 
  in 
  Vineyard 
  Sound 
  and 
  Great 
  Harbor 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  days 
  after 
  

   hatching. 
  The 
  eggs 
  of 
  these 
  fish 
  measure 
  26 
  to 
  the 
  linear 
  inch, 
  and 
  

   the 
  average 
  yield 
  is 
  about 
  150,000, 
  though 
  one 
  specimen, 
  weighing 
  9;^ 
  

   pounds, 
  yielded 
  1,142,024, 
  and 
  an 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  after 
  death 
  

   showed 
  this 
  to 
  be 
  only 
  about 
  one-half 
  of 
  what 
  were 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  

   ovaries. 
  The 
  eggs 
  develop 
  quickly 
  and 
  hatch 
  in 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  three 
  

   days 
  in 
  a 
  temperature 
  of 
  about 
  09°. 
  When 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  first 
  caught 
  

   they 
  will 
  not 
  give 
  down 
  their 
  eggs, 
  and 
  experiments 
  were 
  tried 
  in 
  

   retaining 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  cars 
  for 
  a 
  time. 
  The 
  best 
  results 
  were 
  obtained 
  

   with 
  eggs 
  taken 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  six 
  hours 
  after 
  capturing. 
  The 
  eggs 
  

   from 
  fish 
  held 
  longer 
  than 
  that 
  were 
  very 
  hard 
  to 
  fertilize, 
  and 
  tUost.' 
  

   taken 
  from 
  fish 
  held 
  over 
  night 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  entirely 
  M'orthless. 
  

  

  