54 



Portugal, and into the Mediterranean. It does not occur there 

 in such large numbers as in Northern Europe, and is of 

 less importance from an economic point of view than Palin- 

 urus vulgaris, the " Langouste." Its range is not bounded 

 eastwards by the Adriatic as stated by Herrick (1911), as it 

 extends into the Aegean (see Caiman and D'Arcy Thompson, 

 Nature, 1911). 



Irish Distribution. — The Lobster is found on all the coasts 

 of Ireland, and is the basis of a fishery which is growing 

 in value and importance, as may be seen from the tables 

 given below. In 1912 the total catch was more than half 

 a million for the first time. The figures for England and Wales, 

 and for Scotland, are given below in parallel columns for com- 

 parison. The greatest numbers are landed on the west and 

 south coasts. 



In the last half -century an extensive literature on the lobster 

 has grown up, and experiments have been carried out in many 

 countries with a view to devising some practical method of 

 lobster-culture, which would counteract the serious depletion 

 of the supply which has been brought about by over -fishing. 

 I have thought it useful to give here references to a few of the 

 most important papers dealing with the lobster and its fisheries. 



1888, Ewart and Fulton ; 1894, Ehrenbaum ; 1895, E. J. 

 Allen ; 1896, E. J. Allen ; 1896, F. H. Herrick ; 1909, Appellof ; 

 1911, F. H. Herrick. 



The most complete account of the European lobster is to be 

 found in the paper by Appellof (1909). Herrick' s splendid 

 monograph (1911) gives a most exhaustive and detailed account 

 of the structure, relationship, habits, development, and fisheries 

 of the American lobster ; it also includes a large amount of 

 information on the European species, and contains an almost 

 complete bibliography of the literature of both. 



NUMBER AND VALUE OF LOBSTERS LANDED IN IRELAND, 

 ENGLAND AND WALES, AND SCOTLAND FROM 1900 to 1912. 





Ibel. 



^ND 



England and Wales 



Scotland 





Number 



Value 



Number 



Value 



Number 



Value 



1900 



285,821 



£ 

 8,321 



654,152 



£ 

 28,590 



672,093 



£ 

 31,609 



1901 



244,854 



7,351 



650,491 



28,735 



790,310 



36,621 



1902 



193,820 



6,585 



648,736 



29,403 



789,554 



37,329 



1903 



176,656 



6,120 



549,351 



25,431 



1,195,788 



34,568 



1904 



190,902 



6,452 



♦546,001 



*25,566 



*747,121 



*35,736 



1905 



234,592 



7,362 



585,789 



26,712 



1,239,317 



36,320 



1906 



196,502 



6,733 



520,657 



25,256 



828,252 



35,966 



1907 



323,030 



10,088 



495,781 



23,802 



725,421 



35,505 



1908 



374,185 



11,883 



512,478 



24,377 



685,371 



33,920 



1909 



420,830 



11,361 



546,823 



26,288 



688,526 



33,688 



1910 



324,585 



12,499 



533,008 



25,435 



688,856 



34,795 



1911 



493,465 



16,722 



570,272 



27,436 



640,797 



32,091 



1912 



508,986 



17,490 



640,860 



30,576 



624,703 



32,173 







* Eleven months 



only. 







