1916] Allen: Spimj Lobster of the California Coast 141 



west by a trifle south of the south end of the south island of the 

 Coronado group. It was baited in the regular way but contained no 

 spiny lobsters when examined on the mornings of August 11 and 12. 

 Fishermen all agree in saying that the spiny lobster is strictly 

 nocturnal in its habits. It is even claimed very positively and by 

 most reliable observers that they are caught in but small numbers 

 on moonlight nights, the only exceptions being in those cases where 

 traps are set in deep shadow. 



FOOD 



The spiny lobster uses a great variety of food. It takes flesh of 

 all kinds. Fishermen usually bait their traps with fish meat. Many 

 claim with apparent justification that badly decayed fish attracts 

 them most of all and the practice is to set aside the fish caught for 

 bait for several days before using it in the traps. Abalone meat is 

 often used, and flesh of sea-lions, domestic animals, etc. 



Examination of stomach contents shows most varied material, such 

 as brokei) parts of their own species, sponge material, fish scales, etc. 

 Many fragments of kelp leaves are often found, together with remains 

 of other algae. 



The spiny lobster has many enemies. The chief are the sheephead, 

 conger-eel. jew-fish and devil-fish. I have frequently seen remnants of 

 the spiny lob.ster in the stomachs of sheephead. Sheephead and conger- 

 eels are often caught in lobster traps. In such ca.ses, a large propor- 

 tion of the spiny lobsters are found to be mutilated by having legs, 

 antennae and portions of the trunk bitten off. Jew-fish caught by 

 fi-shermen have been found to carry as many as ten or twelve spiny 

 lobsters in the stomach. 



MOVEMENTS 



The spiny lobster usually walks forward, although it may walk 

 sidewise or backward if necessary. In swimming, it moves backward, 

 making strong movements with a flexion of the abdomen. One speci- 

 men was seen by the writer slowly swimming backward at the surface 

 of the water. I have talked with several fishermen who claim to have 

 seen schools of spiny lobsters swimming near the surface. This 



