SEA-FISHERIES LABORATORY. 417 



in the paper show a consumption of 120 to 140 milligrams 

 daily at the start in May. The consumption probably 

 increased somewhat with the temperature in the summer, 

 and then slowed down as winter approached, and as 

 reserves of organic foodstuffs began to be exhausted, so as 

 finally to drop to about one-half at the end of the experi- 

 ment. 



There is accordingly no need to call in any hypo- 

 thetical dissolved organic matter in the sea-water to 

 account for the experimental results. The animals are 

 able to survive all these months because the rate of oxida- 

 tion to supply their own individual needs is so small, and 

 when the loss of organic matter is calculated out as above, 

 it is found to balance fairly accurately with the daily 

 consumption of oxygen. 



The aggregate weights of the four lobsters in the three 

 batches are not very widely removed from one kilogram, 

 and it facilitates comparison to reduce each batch to an 

 equal weight. This calculation has been made in the 

 following table which shows quantities per 1000 grams 

 of live weight. 



Comparison of Constituents in 1,000 Parts of Live Weight. 



Total Alcoholic 



Dry Organic Ex- Undeter- 



Batch Weight Ash Matter Protein Fat tractives Glycogen mined 



Controls ... 331-2 151-69 180-14 11204 10-66 27-26 3-25 20-98 

 Batch No. 1 3261 156-96 169-15 107-42 11-57 26-00 217 21-95 

 Batch No. 2 235-4 152-38 8212 49-31 4-72 21-15 Absent. 5-91 



Attention may be drawn to the remarkable constancy 

 of the ash representing the inorganic constituents in the 

 above comparison. A fast of over seven months, which 

 reduces the organic matter by well over one-half leaves 

 the inorganic constituents as at the beginning. Turning 

 to the organic constituents, by taking differences from the 

 controls, the amounts of protein, carbohydrate, and fat, 



