406 EEPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



similar condition of affairs ha.s been reported l)y Paulmier to obtain at 

 the Long Island fisheries. He says: 



The investigations of the writer, finally, failed to sliow any in the shallow waters 

 of the bays and rivers. It thus seems certain that the crabs in berry do not come 

 into the shallow water at any season in the north. 



During the latter part of June, however, a few specimens were taken while cling- 

 ing to a pound net near Fire Island inlet in about 20 feet of water. For the next 

 three weeks none were seen, while small males were quite common. Then the 

 females suddenly appeared in great numbers on the nets, l)ut, as mentioned, none 

 were seen on the shore. 



The eggs of the crab are ver^^ minute, al)Out jj^ of an inch in 

 diameter, and the}' are ver}^ numerous, it having l)een estimated that 

 a single female may produce as mvnij as 3,000,000. As soon as the 

 eggs are laid thej' adhere to the fringes of hairs on the swiramerets 

 and form a mass which is nearly a third as large as the female's body. 

 They are carried about thus until they hatch, when the young, after 

 clinging to the mother for a short time, loosen their hold and begin a 

 free existence. 



The eggs arc probabl^^ produced soon after copulation, consequently 

 among the great mass of crabs there are to be found some "blooming- 

 females" throughout the summer wherever conditions are favorable 

 for eg^ laying. The majority spawn in the fall or qhyIj spring. In 

 his article on the blue crab (Fisheries and Fishery Industries, p. G42, 

 ISSO) Mr. Kichard Rathbun states that at Hampton, Va., in 1880, the 

 first crabs with eggs were taken on the first of March, but they do not 

 appear usually until April. The height of the spawning season is 

 from May to August, though many egg-laden crabs are seen until 

 November. At Charleston, S. C, in March of the same year, Mr. 

 R. E. Earll reported that at least two-thirds of the catch were females, 

 laden with eggs which from their immature condition would probably 

 not hatch before April or May. In this connection is quoted the 

 following letter from Mr. S. L. Addison, of McMenamin & Co., crab 

 packers at Hampton, Va. : 



The proportion of the male and female crabs varies considerably during the year, 

 but the average is about two males to twelve females. Egg-bearing females are most 

 abundant during the hottest part of the season. As to what time the eggs hatch and 

 how soon after laying, we have no means of ascertaining, and exactly what becomes 

 of the young is a hard question to answer, although the very small crabs are found 

 at all times of the year. Very many of the small crabs are devoured by fish and 

 oysters. ^Ve have no reason to believe that the female dies after she simwns. On 

 the contrary, we are satisfied that she does not, as her appearance gives every evi- 

 dence of it. We are not able to state how long it takes a crab to grow from the egg 

 to "maturity, and, in fact, do not know at what age it is mature. 



Our oldest crabber, who has been in the business for about twenty years, says posi- 

 tively that every crab sheds its shell once every three months during the whole year, 

 both winter and summer. 



Very many egg-bearing female crabs are caught for market and canning purposes, 

 and we see no way to prevent this, as they do not all spawn at the same time, but 



