18 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



of the current, since in the former case the scent, or tine particles coming from the 

 bait, is more widely diffused. Lobsters are sometimes wary and shy of entering 

 the trap, and have been seen to crawl about it several times and examine it cautiously 

 on all sides before, too weak or too hungry to resist temptation, they finally enter. 

 When the pots are hauled, lobsters sometimes escape by darting backward through the 

 narrow opening of one of the funnels, but this seldom happens and may be set down 

 to accident. 



Many facts will be given in the course of this work which illustrate either directly 

 or indirectly the intelligence of the lobster. 1 will add here only the following account 

 of a lobster which was kept at the Iiothsay aquarium, in England (Nature, xv, p. 415, 

 March 8, 1877). A flounder was unintentionally left in one of the aquaria, in which 

 three lobsters were placed. The largest lobster immediately appropriated the fish, 

 Avhich was then dead, and buried it beneath a heap of shingle, on which he mounted 

 guard. Five times within two hours was the fish unearthed, and as often did the 

 lobster shovel the gravel over it with his huge claws, each time ascending the pile 

 and turning his bold, defensive front to his companions. 



THE LOBSTER'S POWERS OF MOVEMENT. 



The adult lobster lives and feeds exclusively upon the sea bottom, which it never 

 leaves of its own accord in any considerable degree. In traveling over the bottom 

 in search of its prey, the lobster walks nimbly upon the tips of its slender legs. The 

 large claws are extended forward in Jront of the head, a position which offers the least 

 resistance to the water, while the two hinder pairs of walking legs, which end in hard 

 spur-like joints, serve as picks to steady the movements of the animal.. In thus going 

 about it has the constant aid of the delicate swimmerets, attached vertically to the 

 under surface of the "tail," each of which consists of a short stalk and two very 

 flexible blades. By the movements of the swimmerets the lobster is impelled slowly 

 forward without the aid of the walking legs. The branches of the swimming feet are 

 garnished with long, chitinous setai or hairs, to which, as is well known, the eggs in 

 the female are attached. Thus these appendages are not only natatory, but play an 

 important part in reproduction, and by their almost incessant beating movements 

 serve to keep the developing eggs well aerated and clean. 



When taken out of the water the lobster can only crawl, in its vain attempts to 

 walk, owing to the heavy weight of the body and claws, which the slender walking 

 legs are now unable to sustain. If turned over on its back the animal is usually able 

 to right itself when out of the water, but not without great effort. If placed near 

 the salt water and left to its own devices, it will almost immediately strike out by the 

 nearest path for the sea with as keen a sense of direction as the sea turtle will show 

 when upon land. Its power of crawling on land is, however, limited to short distances, 

 and the lobster never forsakes the salt water of its own accord and, as has been said, 

 never willingly leaves the sea bottom. 



In exploring its feeding-grounds, where an enemy is likely to be encountered, the 

 legs which carry the long claws are extended forward in front of the head, or carried 

 somewhat obliquely, their tips resting on the bottom, and the long sensitive "feelers" 

 are waved constantly back and forth to give warning of any foe or other objects which 

 the eye may fail to detect. These are exclusively organs of touch. If the anticipated 



