136 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



fact that they are considered experts and secure 

 responsible positions with other aquariums. 



A reconciling thought in connection with the 

 loss of one of our men to the Miami institution 

 is the promise of cooperation in the procuring 

 of tropical . collections for the New York 

 Aquarium. 



THE GIANT CRAYFISH 



The Fresh-Water Lobster of Tasmania 



By C. H. Townsend 



THE fresh-water crayfish or lobster (Asta- 

 copsis franklinii), inhabiting the streams 

 of northern Tasmania, is the largest of all 

 crayfishes, reaching a length of marly two feet 

 and a weight of eight or nine pounds. It in- 

 habits small streams rather than rivers and is 

 even found in brooks that one could leap across. 

 Geoffrey Smith in The Naturalist in Tasmania 

 says he obtained large specimens in a small 

 rivulet. "It seemed extraordinary to fish these 

 huge monsters out of little pools in which one 

 would expect to find nothing larger than a 

 minnow." 



This crayfish is excellent for food, being of 

 finer quality than the marine crayfish (Panu- 

 lirus) of Australian seas, but is little used as 

 few people are acquainted with it other than 

 bushmen and prospectors. It is taken in lobster 

 pots baited with raw meat. The claws of large 

 specimens are formidable weapons about the 

 size of a man's hand. 



An allied species (A. serratus) found in 

 southern Australia and nearly as large, is sold 

 in the markets of Melbourne and Sydney as 

 Murray River lobster. 



As several species of trouts from Europe and 

 North America have been successfully acclima- 

 tized in Tasmania, Australia and New Zealand, 

 it may be that the antipodes can contribute 

 something of value to the fresh waters of our 

 own latitude. Northern Tasmania, in about 

 forty-one degrees south, occupies a position 

 comparable in latitude with our northern states, 

 and the climatic conditions are not greatly 

 different. 



These large crayfishes might be carried across 

 the tropics with no more difficulty than attends 

 the transportation of trout and salmon. Cray- 

 fishes stand transportation well. The Aquarium 

 has living specimens of Columbia River cray- 

 fishes which were sent by mail from San Fran- 

 cisco to New York, with no more moisture than 

 that retained in several wrappings of damp 



THE GIANT CRAYFISH OR FRESH-WATER LOBSTER 



OF TASMANIA 



A Crayfish of the British Isles shown at the left 



The package was just one 



paper and moss, 

 week in transit. 



Perhaps the Bureau of Fisheries can arrange 

 with the fishery authorities of Tasmania for a 

 supply of fresh-water lobsters for acclimatiza- 

 tion in the north? 



KING ALBERT VISITS THE 

 AQUARIUM 



THE King of the Belgians, accompanied by 

 the Crown Prince and several Belgian and 

 City officials, appeared unannounced at the 

 Aquarium on October 4. Fortunately the arrival 

 of the party at the door was noticed in time for 

 suitable greetings 



The King apparently loses little time while 

 sight seeing, leading the way at his own pace 

 and taking in the situation visually, rather than 

 by lingering with a party that might detain 

 him. It did not take us three minutes to dis- 

 cover that sight seeing on his own account was 

 his idea and others might do the following. 



This does not mean that the King was not 

 interested during the half hour he remained at 

 the Aquarium. He halted at the large plaster 

 model of the proposed new Aquarium and re- 



