388 GENERAL SCIENCE 



of the lobster which may be sold in the markets. The state 

 of Maine forbids the sale of a lobster less than four and 

 one-half inches from the rear of the thorax to the end of the 

 bony projection between the eyes, making the entire lob- 

 ster about ten and one-half inches in length. They are 

 caught chiefly by means of traps 4 feet long and 18 inches 

 in diameter, flat on the bottom and semi-circular on the 

 top. A net incloses each end of the trap and in the net 

 there is a hole large enough for the lobsters to walk 

 through. Once they are on the inside they are unable 

 to find their way out. Dead fish are used for bait and are 

 placed in the center of the trap. The traps rest on the 

 bottom of the ocean, usually in water from 10 to 50 

 fathoms in depth. A rope extends from the trap at the 

 bottom to a float on the surface of the water so that the 

 fishermen can find the rope and draw up the trap contain- 

 ing the lobsters. 



The lobster, like the crayfish, molts very often during 

 the earlier part of its life. After becoming eight inches or 

 more in length it molts once a year. During the molting 

 season the North American lobster moves near the shore, 

 where it has more protection under the rocks and is less 

 liable to be attacked by fish which prey upon it during this 

 season. 



268. Amphibians. An amphibian is an animal which 

 lives part of its life in water as a fish does and part on land, 

 breathing by means of lungs. It also has an internal 

 skeleton instead of an external skeleton as. the crayfish 

 and insects have. Two common examples of amphibians 

 are frogs and toads. In the spring they deposit their 

 eggs, which are inclosed within a gelatin-like substance 

 in order to protect them from fish which might eat them. 

 The eggs hatch in a very short time and after the young, 



