NATURAL HISTORY ol' NORWAY. i?$ 



table, After that time they fall away, and they likewife caft their 

 /hell. To fupply the place of the old fhell, a new one, that 

 is thinner, is immediately prepared by nature, which, in lefs than 

 eight days, acquires almoft the fame degree of hardnefs as the 

 other. The male Lobfter is known by the tail, which is narrower 

 than that of the female ; and it feems as if it were pinched in. 

 The female is broader, and is reckoned the molt delicate. They 

 keep on the fandy bottom and in the gravel, or in the cracks of 

 the rocks ; but moft frequently amongft the weeds and rufhes, 

 from which they probably receive the greateft nourifhment. 

 They eat alfo various forts of young Fifh. The greateft enemy 

 the Lobfter has is the Sea-wolf, who likes every thing that is 

 hard to exercife his teeth upon. When the Lobfter is pnrfued, 

 and wants to get away in a hurry, they fay he bends his tail, and 

 by preflmg it, fhoves himfelf along backwards ; fo that the head 

 is dragged after the hind-part. Formerly they ufed to take Lob- 

 fters here with wooden pincers ; but as they are hurt by being 

 fqueezed, and ufu ally die two or three days after, they no longer 

 make ufe of that method. In thofe places, from whence they Method of 

 export them alive in Lobfter -bufles, they are caught only in what Sem!" 2 

 we call Teiner. This is a machine compofed of feveral hoops 

 covered with a fishing-net ; at each end there is a long and nar- 

 row entrance, fo that the Lobfter, when he is once in, cannot 

 eafily find his way out again. In fome places they ufe teiner, 

 like eel-baskets, made of the roots of juniper-trees, which they 

 find the beft for this purpofe : in thefe they generally hang fome 

 other Fish for a bait, and in each teiner that is faftened with a 

 rope, and thrown into the water, they catch about ten or twelve 

 in a night. / 



How many thoufands there are in the whole annually catch'd Numbers ; and 

 and exported may be judged by this ; that from the beginning xportatl0n • 

 of the prefent century there have been in our ports every Spring, 

 at leaft 30 or 40 Lobfter-bufTes from London and Amfterdam; 

 which are loaded with live Lobfters only. Thefe velTels are 

 contrived for the fervice, every one being provided with a well, 

 or clofe room, with a great number of holes bored through the 

 bottom, and big enough to hold 10 or 12000 Lobfters in the 

 falt-water, their proper element. About the beginning of the 

 Spring they make better voyages than they do in Summer, when 

 the air begins to grow warm. If the voyage be prolonged by 

 calms or contrary winds, the Lobfters, being too much confined, 

 are apt to die ; and this particularly happens if there comes thun- 

 der, which they fay hurts them more thaa any thing. In this cafe 



Part II. Y y the 



