REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XCIX 
portions of the adult, which are still more marked in the eighth stage, 
the final one that was observed, and during the same period its dispo- 
sition to remain upon the bottom has also increased. 
Not being supplied with a yolk sac, the embryo lobsters begin to feed 
immediately after hatching. They are carnivorous and cannibalistic, 
devouring their own kindred by preference and with evident relish. 
They are ravenous eaters, very savage and persistent in t.lieir attacks 
upon one another, interposing thereby a serious obstacle to any attempts 
at their confinement in the aquaria. Otherwise it would be advisable 
to hold them until they had passed through their early larval stages 
and were ready to begin their permanent life upon the bottom. At that 
age they are better able to escape their enemies and to search for food, 
but under existing conditions it has been necessary to plant them when 
only a few days old. Prof. Byder found that the greatest mortality oc- 
curred during the first four stages. The fifth and following stages are 
more hardy, and would give comparatively little trouble in practical 
operations. Their harder shell, their approach to the adult habits, and 
the greater ease with which they can be fed all conduce to this. These 
later stages were fed upon crab roe, copepods, and other minute crus- 
tacean life, and sometimes with chopped meat, but it was found essen- 
tial that the food should be given in a fresh condition and should not 
be allowed to become stale or to putrefy in the tanks. The experiments 
with regard to feeding and rearing in the aquaria will be continued 
during subsequent seasons in the hope of reaching more satisfactory 
conclusions in that respect. 
It is still too early to measure the success of lobster-culture, and until 
the same can positively be determined it has not been considered pru- 
dent to conduct the work upon a large scale or to extend it beyond the 
Wood’s Holl region. In the summer of 1888, 325,000 embryos were 
planted there, and in 1889, 1,575,000 embryos. The growth of the lob- 
ster is supposed to be comparatively slow, the age of individuals meas- 
uring 10 inches long having been estimated all the way from G to 10 
years, although we have no definite information on which to base such 
calculations. Any increase in the supply would not, therefore, have 
manifested itself up to the present time, and several years must still 
elapse before passing finally upon the utility of the experiments. The 
urgency of the case is such, however, as to warrant most strenuous 
efforts to attain success. The destruction of lobster eggs in nature 
through the attacks of eels, dinners, and other small fishes, is known 
to be very great, while most of the egg lobsters taken by the fishermen 
find their way to market, despite the laws. Artificial propagation is 
at least beneficial in insuring the utilization of the latter and the pres- 
ervation and hatching of a larger percentage of the former, precisely 
what is accomplished in all branches of fish culture. It is evident, 
however, that more stringen t and judicious legislation will be required 
to fully protect the lobster-grounds, even to the entire suspension of 
