43 
TABLE XIV. — Monthly Proportional Numbers of the Sexes. 
. Houses. 
Males. 
Females. 
Berried 
Females. 
Total 
Females. 
February ... 
51 
45 
4 
49 
March 
53-5 
44 
2-5 
46-5 
April 
43 
41 
16 
57 
May 
41*5 
38-5 
20 
58-5 
June 
42 
39 
19 
58 
July 
43 
44 
13 
57 
It would appear from these figures that the male lobsters tend to 
be more numerous in the early part of the year, and that thereafter 
the females are in excess. I have no statistical knowledge of the 
proportion of the sexes in the latter, part of the year, and very little 
for the latter part of the summer, but, so far as I have been able to 
gather, there is no distinct disproportion between the sexes towards 
the end of the year, and there is a practical absence of berried hens. 
The totals may then be taken to represent with considerable 
accuracy the proportional numbers of the sexes caught during the 
year. The berried females are not caught to such an extent as 
unberried females, and the figures are therefore only liable to error 
in the earlier months and the later months of the year, from the fact 
which the figures themselves disclose, that the berried lobster does not 
leave the neighbourhood of the rocks to the same degree as the males 
and the unberried females. The numbers for April, May, and June 
are for these reasons to be preferred. They are, males, 827 ; 
females, 769; berried females, 362 ; total females, 1131; giving a 
proportion of males, 42 ; females, 39 ; berried females, 19. At 
Beadnell on the other hand the berried females only amounted to 
13 per cent, in the six years. It is a point both with reference to 
crabs and lobsters which well deserves restatement. 
Beekied Ceabs and Beeeied Lobstees. — During the six years 
at Sea Houses there were caught 133 berried to 54,178 hard or 
marketable crabs, or 1 to 407. At Beadnell for 1899 and 1900 there 
were caught 61 berried to 14,731 hard crabs, or 1 to 241. The 
proportion of the berried to the unberried female crabs was in the 
case of Sea Houses 1 to 213, and for 1899 at Beadnell 1 to 109. ‘ 
In the same manner the proportion of berried to hard lobsters is 
as follows : — 
February 
March . . . 
April . . . 
May ... 
June ... 
July ... 
Totals ... 
April to June 
Sea Houses. 
1 to 22 
1 to 39 
1 to 5 
1 to 4 
1 to 4 
1 to 6 
1 to 5 
1 to 4 
Beadnell. 
1 to 15 
1 to 7 
1 to 4 
1 to 6-5 
The proportion of the berried to the unberried female lobsters 
(Sea Houses) is 1 to 2-25. 
