102 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 
observed the molting of 22 immature crabs which were confined in floats on the water 
at the United States Fisheries biological laboratory at Beaufort, N. C., during the sum- 
mers of 1913, 1914, and 1915. ‘These crabs ranged from 1.0625 to 6 inches in breadth. 
His results are summarized in the following table: 
TABLE D. 
Days 
Individual crab. Width. Gain. between 
molts. 
Mm. Mm. 
Md sisie.cinleo sq eiecerelalpBlocpieve\oie ShMatue'Sinia,e stu) kath ule e'b/ae's ate wlweraawinia/Gunfa weld oiaivaher iwi e alerelajeieaie wath weet Ga7to 35 8 15 
_SHRASONESCoSauE | OCbsost, —Csarcute:® cCostosnne. APROCne Coroner mr rat are rs Srp rr ek tor! gito 38 Ir 
Bisa Riaeinince duin's,c: cOhlya wane cWatath e.cin'e w sine Sigh Qin cin osbimarersiaa aad dhiine aisles oarhdeare aida) Aten bersts silage grto 38 7 ir 
AS cist orvia.e'aediu.s is ca Q@R we nunca apteiptore'e’s a(cie eral b niaihic s/s <a ater ntabedalnia’alalabta}e’ Se talalasnrelsiplaye alatalei slat dleyel gral Mera tee 35to 45 10 12 
BEM. Sip ‘n'ai 'a wie cols WElein pid nix, Polefateinijecle = aieiq eee <icin pin wteiatevaaleheta/alcl hits to fatae oMhatatelateteialatnints) Aateveleyatetetatiets 53 to 70 17 19 
Ts sik ains en tins inh Rs als ner RAN wen ero cjgpn ARMs Sa mm: o apnlec bec imgaiadoratay cal eYaadei se (Si Mraa ue alan afc) eacaaer my ssto 71 16 ar 
Faia oie kiatw 9 6 eeia ec Cea 0 Sia REG ac aia 6 tae Oa Brave ssa zteeaea brecale rake (aiaVatnjagnl aie alalala/cinatac crept talele Selick ssto 73 8 12 
WES  afaru alaluia viatals' vinta Wislelpts co. u'pvitiels Miele wie o/apo Miah, Uist oluielsie's wistaisisiaitkeleix afar ohaia afaVaieYo oletoreiete als tatetal tel aioraiarosatetl 57to 76 19 ar 
BER ors nigie s,deleleiciaG Rss ein'n b vinta hfe, 6: ti ale: diefaQPOe AB's w'niaiatpwrclala a:apavare(alelatsletaiat diate! sial afata[etyulevola(eteretalatsteteteld soto 77 18 16 
MO ears vinnie ares cie eine se ibielc winceip Wiebe ath faim’ ain, e's RMDAB eo, chm. 8 fiscal ul cfuinlaso/etura’afajesainin/h tnlutefa(afatn/atatel valet aievetempvorctals 62to 78 16 24 
ORO IIT RIC ARDCIOSIDOOTICIODNDROO CC SER aO orc] “ASDC TOO ONO EO AaGqCORGL Ie Ann cmeaaceoOsar i 62to 84 22 23 
el afeisttetstotaia’ayulcisiate)e's'e/eia/cfeistersiwra'e Kia's Styl Gere a cis.=eie arnt s'atta’e ntatsin afeleln'si {nium sin miata leteta rete atelier ecelet 63 to 85 22 19 
Beare cece cee etnies vs clue Une ae beh seembsice Seine ad Seite stele tea aki ania cits ame Mere mere me atai hte 63 to 83 20 20 
A Siig GM ar wie Wawa ib dha dinjn inne diet tere neta Blake hate moar eatate Ta crea pla Sibson a nfasoic1C eat nin 5, aialarataetare a ate 64to 82 18 27 
iain onistaiolt via ainblaisaleeca nie satee e's'a sie'sial bere cua wlaiva ds turdatisie’anisieis ait a itates aiapielgntn sn kin ina, Stalamaieiete | 69 to 88 19 3r 
OCA WCU lala meh akin civie Steere are cache cea wate alee ewe ie Tee eine ce Su metee tersicem ee z2to o8 26 26 
SSE LO beled staae «Vp ee itlos uk PRE eet pec eee ERR ac Heh ag eng Pabebe ag e@hicdens waka 73 to 99 26 23 
TR CSREES SE Be AG Soo ee eee Sete ne SRO Sr RSP weer 80to 98 18 28 
MO rsa mecnia aaia(e crateiin' nb, nicla’ayalujs'sinth:a/aselh sia ufagnta w/aieehe'n isiciniet pt slais’e s.n/clainid sone win aleinisic le eee CIPS ia Wms a: 9 xiarara, OLY 80 to 105 a5 32 
CRG RT CTe eleta els cia eyotale sires ul teTa PDs alee Cute atels lam ate GE eee at ataln n/abe natu csi etctatatetstMteNe clniaia viatate ae eers aerate 82 to 102 20 3t 
Bite Gates debeebosr ee USE ~ Case ts chads ~ woee Pe EEE wchiee RTE tReet ee Wat tal ce seh MOay hee’ che 90 to 116 26 29 
MS Settee od akin Mi gelah a aida keto Mak cam lE oncchlals aeaie «ance Mins cle ie chal siete Ri eee ate bd x18 to rss 37 33 
@ 1.0625 to 1.375 inches. > 4.625 to 6 inches. 
It will be seen from this table that the gain varies from 7 or 8 millimeters in the first 
stages to from 26 to 37 for the last. The gain is about one-third in 15 of the cases and 
one-fourth in the other 7. The interval between moltings varies from 11 days for the 
earlier to about 3ofor the later stages. The average for the first 11 cases is 16 days and 
for the last 11 cases 28 days. 
The total time required for the hypothetical crab of Table C to reach maturity 
from the megalops stage is 208 days, or nearly 7 months. Allowing a month (see Bin- 
ford’s results) for the completion of the zoéa and megalops stages, it will be seen that 
about 8 months would be required for the crab to reach adult size after hatching. All 
the evidence at hand, however, leads to the belief that the crab does not molt during 
the winter months. Perhaps the best evidence for this is the fact that, even before the 
close season was established in Maryland, the soft-crab industry ceased some time in 
October of each year until the middle or last of the following April. As this industry is 
dependent on the securing of molting crabs, they either do not molt during the winter 
or retire for the process to water of such a depth that access can not be had to them by 
the scrapes used in securing molting crabs nor by the oyster dredges. 
