American Fisheries Society. 97 



what tlu'v come in contact with; and as the}'' are continually mov- 

 ing about in an ocean full of organisms, they mnst Init rarely 

 want for food. 



The experiments in rearing the fry through the critical 

 period have demonstrated that the chief difficulties to he con- 

 tended with are, first, that of supplying proper food ; and, second, 

 that of furnishing adequate protection. 



4. What is the best method of supplying food ? 



When a large number of fry are kept in an enclosure, the 

 natural food supply consisting of other organism, is of course 

 not sufficient in quantity and other food must be introduced. 

 Some method must be resorted to, wliich will provide the food in 

 greater quantities and with greater certainty. The fry decidedly 

 prefer an animal to a vegetable diet, and, while shrimp can be 

 fed satisfactorily on bread, the lobsters will not eat it. 



One of the best foods is lobster liver, which is readily shaken 

 into minute short filaments. At the present price of lobsters tliis 

 diet is rather too luxurious to be used on a large scale, and fur- 

 thermore the experiments seem to indicate that it does not 

 always agree with the fry. Shredded fresh fish is fairly good, 

 and very satisfactory in the later stages. The best food so far 

 discovered is the soft parts of clams. The bodies of the clam are 

 cut out and chopped into fine pieces in a chopping tray and then 

 thrown into the water. 



There is one halnt of the fry which makes the question of 

 ample food supply especially important, their atrocious canni- 

 balism. From the moment they are hatched, throughout the 

 early stages of life their affection for one another takes this dis- 

 gusting form. The only way to prevent them from destroying 

 one another is to give them an abundance of food, and in such a 

 manner that they will take it in preference to other lobster fry. 



5. What is the best means of protecting the fry during the 

 first three stages ? 



There are two main difficulties in tlie way of providing a 

 suitable enclosure for the fry which will allow them sufficient 

 freedom, and whicli will at the same time confine them and pro- 

 tect them from their enemies. The fact that the young fry swim 

 about and are carried hither and thither by the currents consti- 



