4 
men. It is shown that the catches of crabs are characterised by 
the large numbers of soft crabs or casters caught from September 
to January every year, and by the small numbers of berried crabs ; 
that the lobsters taken by the fishermen include practically none 
that could be called soft, and that a great proportion of berried 
females are captured during the months when there is a close time 
in the district for their protection. Estimates are given of the pro- 
portions of the sexes, and of the spawn bearing females, from which 
it appears that the proportion of the berried to the unberried female 
lobsters is 1 to 2*25, and that the males are less numerous than the 
females. It is probable that the crab does not differ materially in 
this respect from the lobster. The crabs of the northern division 
of the county are often better in quality and far more numerous 
than those of the southern, and the reason is shown to be (with the 
aid of a map prepared by Professor Lebour) a geological one, the 
feeding grounds being so much more extensive in the former region. 
The more important facts from an economical point of view with 
regard to the life-histories are summarised, and the attempt is made 
to indicate the rate of growth. Attention is drawn, in estimating 
the population of both species, to the enormous death rate of lobsters 
and especially of crabs. The conclusions are (1) if -further legis- 
lative interference is necessary for the improvement of the crab 
fisheries that a close time should be instituted for the months of 
October, November, and December, at a time when the fishery is 
most destructive, and when the catches include, it may almost be said 
consist of, the females which are about to come into spawn ; and (2) 
that the only further legislative effort which can be made in the 
case of lobsters is to extend the protection to the berried female for 
the whole year; but seeing that already the local bye-law has 
created a great deal of friction, and has led in many cases to a 
habit of stripping off the berries on the part of fishermen who are 
determined not to make the sacrifice demanded of them, a construc- 
tive method of improvement should be adopted by establishing a 
centre for lobster culture in the district, at first, on an experimental 
scale. It being necessary, as the law is at present, to prove the 
removal of the shell-fish from the fishery district, even the 
legislation proposed would be greatly hampered, and might be found 
sometimes to be inoperative. 
Miss M. V. Lebour, B.Sc., contributes a paper on a Trematode 
parasite of the Cockle, and adds a few species to our list of Marine 
Mollusca. 
