American Fisheries Society 367 



in reality accustom them to living on the bottom of a car 

 before liberating them. In this way we have reared 28,372 

 lobsters to the fifth, sixth, and later stages. 



In regard to the devising of new and more effectual means 

 of liberating it may be remarked that our usual method has 

 been to scatter the lobsterlings widely along the edge of the 

 shore, selecting for this purpose shores that were full of 

 rocks and shells and as free from small fish as possible. 

 This year we have tried out two devices for liberation in 

 deeper water. 



One of these is a covered box weighted with stones and 

 with numerous large holes bored in the sides near the bot- 

 tom. On the outside of the box strips of wood wider than 

 the diameter of the holes are nailed over the holes in such 

 a way as to leave a crack on the lower side of the strips 

 large enough for the lobsters to get through and yet too 

 narrow to allow fish to get in. As the strips are nailed on 

 the outside only, the bored holes are left the entire size on 

 the inside and can thus be readily found by the young 

 lobsters in their endeavor to escape. The lobsters are then 

 placed in the box, which is covered, sunk to the bottom and 

 left for a day or two. In this length of time the lobsters 

 will gradually have worked out of the box through the 

 numerous holes. 



The second and better method is to construct a wooden 

 box with a tight cover and with the bottom made of gal- 

 vanized screening eight meshes to the inch. This screen 

 is fastened three inches up from the lower edges of the 

 sides, thus allowing the sides to project three inches below 

 the bottom of the car. Consequently the car may sink 

 into the muddy bottom of the bay and still leave the screen 

 bottom of the car a little higher than the mud. The mesh 

 of the screen is spread in a number of places so as to leave 

 holes large enough to permit the lobsters to crawl out. In 

 lowering the car the inrush of water keeps the lobsters 

 away from the holes and when the car rests on the bottom 

 an enclosed place is formed under the screen between the 



