-162 
industry on the footing which it held in comparison to the 
population of the country 40 years ago. Then, a lobster 
of five pounds was a small one, now, one half of that 
weight is large, and the numbers have decreased in even 
greater proportion. The only things that approach the 
utility of lobster culture in economic importance is the 
hatching of whitefish on the Great Lakes, and the shad in 
therivers ; the trout and salmon will not compare with the 
lobster in value, if the latter can be increased as the former 
have been. 
It is possible to bring this neglected branch of fisheulture 
to a point where it will, on the seaboard, at least, over- 
shadow the other branches in which we have been engaged. 
After making notes about lobsters carrying their eggs 
all winter, when laid after July 15, I received the follow- 
ing letter from Prof. Samuel Garman, of the Museum of 
Comparative Zodlogy, Cambridge, Mass., dated August 
30, 1892: 
Mr. FRED MATHER: 
Dear Sir: Iam very glad to get your reports and to know 
that you are pushing inquiries into the life-history of the 
lobster and the fishes which you propagate. I take pleas- 
ure in sending you a little report of my own on the lobster. 
Very truly, S. GARMAN. 
To say just how I rejoiced to find that Professor Gar- 
man’s studies confirmed my own crude observations is 
beyond my power. It is pleasant to have one’s ideas 
confirmed by any one who has studied the subject more 
than he has ; but I will quote Prof. Garman’s paper entire: 
REPORT ON THE LOBSTER. 
By S. GARMAN, 
MusrEuM oF CoMPARATIVE ZOOLOoeyY, 
CAMBRIGDE, Mass., Dec. 17, 1891. 
Hon. E. A. Brackett, Massachusetts State Fishery Commissioner: 
Sir :—Yours, with inquiries regarding the conclusions reached in the study 
