806 NATURAL HISTORY OF AQUATIC ANIMALS. 



The following incident, furnished by a correspondent, forcibly illustrates the process of 

 shooting a claw and points a moral. A party who had purchased a number of Lobsters as food 

 thought to keep them fresh overnight by hanging them over the side of his vessel, by means of 

 cords tied to the claws. In the morning, when he went to examine his live stock, he found 

 nothing but the claws remaining fast to the cords, the Lobsters having dropped back into 

 their former abode. 



DEFORMITIES AND DISEASES. Lobsters are subject to many deformities or malformations, 

 which generally occur upon the claws, and appear to originate from several causes. A broken 

 claw is sometimes mended in an irregular manner, and there are frequent instances of what are 

 termed double claws, resulting from the formation of a second projection or thumb upon either the 

 larger or smaller branch of the claw, and which is more or less perfect in shape but immovable. 

 Rarely the two branches of the claw are not regularly set with reference to one another, and 

 instead of working in the same plane, and meeting edge to edge, they pass one another like the 

 blades of a pair of scissors. The thumb or finger of one of the claws occasionally takes on an 

 unusual or fantastic shape, or becomes greatly broadened and thickened, but the variations to 

 which the claws are subject are too numerous to warrant description here. Many of them have 

 been figured and discussed by Mr. Walter Faxon in the " Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative 

 Zoology " for March, 1881. They probably arise in part from injuries received while in the soft 

 state, but in great measure they have not been accounted for. 



During the past winter, there was sent to the National Museum, from the coast of Nova 

 Scotia, the carapax of a medium-sized Lobster, with two small round openings covered with 

 membranes, placed symmetrically one on each side of the median line, a short distance back of 

 the rostrum. By the person who sent the specimen, and who saw the Lobster when alive, these 

 membranes were described as projecting slightly from the surface, and taking on the appearance 

 of a second pair of eyes. Unusual but symmetrical markings also occur upon the dorsal side of 

 the carapax. The specimen was so thoroughly cleaned and dried, however, before we received 

 it nothing remaining but the shell that it is now impossible to form a correct idea as to the 

 real import of these strange features. 



Diseased Lobsters are not commonly met with. Individuals are occasionally found in a very 

 emaciated condition, and some with soft spots like sores upon the body ; but such cases are rare. 

 Specimens are sometimes taken with small portions of the body gone, or with deep scars and dents 

 upon the surface, the results of injury. It is usually the older individuals that are marked in 

 this way. 



PAH ASITES. Lobsters do not appear to be much troubled with external parasites or messmates. 

 Barnacles often grow upon the back and claws, and mussels sometimes attach themselves to the 

 same places. The number of Barnacles is frequently so great and they cover so large a portion of 

 the exterior surface as to seriously impede the movements of the Lobster, but this seldom happens. 

 Fish-lice are mentioned by the fishermen as occasionally occurring on the Lobsters, but as we 

 have never seen any specimens of such it is impossible to determine what they may be, if they 

 are parasites at all. 



ENEMIES. All the larger bottom-feeding fish probably feed upon the Lobster, and the sur- 

 face fish also greedily devour the young. Soft-shell Lobsters sufl'er most in this way, and are 

 frequently found in the stomachs of cod taken by the fishermen. Sharks, dogfish, rays, tautog, and 

 striped bass are also mentioned as being especially fond of Lobsters, but this list could undoubt- 

 edly be greatly extended without much trouble. Water-birds sometimes feed upon the smaller 

 individuals in shallow water. During the earlier period of their existence, while they are still 



