186 



SOME REMARKS ON AN EXPERIMENTAL LOBSTER 

 HATCHERY. 



By RUPERT VALLBNTIN. 



During the early part of last summer (1895), at the request 

 of the Fishery Committee of the Eoyal Cornwall Polytechnic 

 Society, I undertook, with the co-operation of my friend 

 Mr. J. B. Tilly, the construction, and afterwards the superin- 

 tendence of an experimental lobster-hatchery ; our aim was to 

 rear lobster-larvse in captivity, till they had grown to an inch or 

 more in length and were able to assume the habits of the 

 adult. 



Before designing this hatchery, I made a careful examination 

 of the coast, in the neighbourhood of Falmouth, to see if some 

 rock-pool could not be adapted at a small outlay to suit our 

 requirements ; but I was unable to find any place that could be 

 made to answer our purpose without a heavy expenditure. 



The attempts which have hitherto been made in this 

 kingdom, to rear lobster-larvse in captivity, have not been very suc- 

 cessful. At Plymouth, Prof. Weldon'^'* hatched some thousands 

 of young lobsters, in the hold of an old trawler which he had 

 altered to suit his requirements, and he was able to keep them 

 under observation for fourteen days : the vessel then foundered. 

 Later(2) the same gentleman, with the co-operation of Dr. 

 Fowler, resumed experiments in a large tank, belonging to 

 the Marine Biological Association, which held about 600 gallons 

 of water ; but they were again unsuccessful, and up to this time 

 their experiments have been discontinued. 



In concluding his account of this second experiment my 

 friend, Dr. Fowler, writes as follows : — 



"The mere hatching of the eggs of the lobster, whether 

 they are left on the mother, or are stripped from her and 

 hatched in appropriate apparatus, presents, of course, no 

 diflSculties ; it is easy to turn myriads of young lobsters loose in 



•These numbers refer to Bibliographical list at end. 



