212 BUI.LETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



using considerable force. It was in the state which the fishermen designate as a "paper- 

 shell" or "rubber-shell" lobster. If sent to market it would have been classed as a 

 soft-shell lobster. It is possible, of course, that in this space of time an animal under 

 natural conditions would have become harder. It is safe to conclude, however, that 

 from 6 to 8 weeks are necessary, under ordinary conditions, to produce a shell which is 

 as hard as that cast off, and if the lobsters were destined for the market they would 

 probably be in a still better condition in lo weeks or 3 months. Many lobsters with soft 

 shells are caught and sent to market, but their flesh is then watery and of inferior quality. 

 When cooked, the fine meat of the claws, which will serve as a good index of their con- 

 dition, shrinks to an almost unrecognizable remnant. According to the opinion of a 

 canner of lobsters in Maine, 7 pounds of soft-shelled lobsters in summer or fall will 

 yield no more than 4 pounds in spring, when the flesh is more solid. 



RELATION OF WEIGHT TO LENGTH IN THE ADULT. 



The lobster's weight does not bear a constant ratio to its length, but is very variable 

 owing chiefly to the loss of limbs, and particularly of the great claw-bearing legs. These 

 alone represent from one-fourth to one-half of the weight of the animal, and probably 

 in all giants of the 20 to 30 pound class, which are invariably males, the weight of the 

 great chelipeds is fully two-thirds that of the entire body. The lost limbs are promptly 

 regenerated, as we have seen, but never completely without the intervention of one or 

 more molts, so that a lobster with an undersized claw is a common occurrence. 



The length of lobsters is commonly measured from apex of rostral spine to the end 

 of the telson, not including its terminal fringe of hairs. More exact comparisons can 

 be made from measurements of the nondistensible carapace or back shell alone. This 

 method of measuring the lobster was adopted by the legislature of Maine in 1907, and 

 should be generally followed. The Maine laws require the marketable lobster to meas- 

 ure 4.75 inches from the beak to hinder margin of the carapace, which is equivalent to 

 a io>^-inch animal under the old standard, the ratio of carapace length to full body 

 length being approximately 45 per cent for animals of average size. When the rostrum 

 is defective the total body length can be taken. Under such a relatively inflexible 

 standard the fisherman is not tempted to stretch his lobsters in order to put them 

 into the "counter" class, and to sell animals which are likely to die from injuries 

 thus received. 



The weight is subject to considerable variation in consequence of molting, when 

 a dense armor is exchanged for a much lighter though larger one. In the soft lobster 

 the specific gravity of the solids and fluids of the body is considerably reduced, but 

 on the whole the weight is chiefly affected by disparity in the size of the big claws. 



The male is heavier than a female of the same length, at least after passing the 

 8-inch mark. The lo-inch males are about an ounce heavier than females of corre- 

 sponding length. From this stage onward the balance in favor of the male becomes 

 most pronounced. Thus the 11 -inch male exceeds the female of this length by a full 



