Chapter III.— GIANT LOBSTERS. 
Stories of gigantic lobsters made their appearance at a very early period, and one 
could probably gather as many exaggerated accounts of this animal now as in the days 
of Olaus Magnus. Time, however, has narrowed the bounds of credulity, even among 
the ignorant, and we no longer hear some of the interesting legends which the old writers 
have carefully handed down. Thus Olaus Magnus tells us in his description of northern 
lands and seas, a published in 1555, that between the Orkneys and Hebrides there lived 
lobsters so huge that they could catch a strong swimmer and squeeze him to death in 
their claws. His curious figures were copied by Gesner, who has many others equal to 
any which are described in the old mythologies. 
Giants are met with in all the higher groups of animals. They interest us not only 
on account of their actual size, but also in showing to what degree individuals may 
surpass the mean average of the race. It may be a question whether lobsters weighing 
from 20 to 30 pounds or more are to be regarded as giants in the technical sense, or 
simply as sound and vigorous individuals on whose side fortune has always fought in 
the struggle for life. I am inclined to the latter view, and look upon the mammoth 
lobster simply as a favorite of nature, who is larger than his fellows because he is their 
senior; good luck never deserted him until he was stranded on the beach or became 
entangled in some fisherman’s gear. 
Gesner gives a poor likeness of a lobster, but an excellent drawing of the large 
crusher claw of one which he had preserved in his collection on account of its great 
size. The length of this claw was inches, and its breadth at the junction of the 
dactyl about 4 inches, so that it was borne by a lobster which weighed not far from 8 
pounds. 
The European lobster of to-day seldom or never attains so great size as the American 
species, as already remarked, and its average weight is considerably less. Buckland 
gives an account of large lobsters from the British Islands, in which the greatest weight 
recorded was 14 pounds, and European lobsters of this size are undoubtedly now very 
rare. The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia possesses a skeleton of Homarus 
gammarus b which, judging from its measurements, must have weighed from 23 to 25 
a Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus, Rome. 1555. 
b It is possible that a mistake has been made in attributing the Philadelphia specimen to the European species The deter- 
mination was made by Prof. John R. Ryder, who evidently relied upon the character of the rostrum (see p. 161) in basing his opin- 
ion. Regarding this specimen, Professor Ryder wrote under date of March io, 1894, as follows: “It turns out to be European 
instead of American. I send the data obtainable. The catalogue does not give weight or locality. At one time there was a 
label stating the weight; now that has also disappeared.’’ Again on March 15, he wrote: “There is no doubt of the large lobster 
being H. vulgaris. I found no spines on the under side of the rostrum of the large specimen; perfectly smooth, as was also another 
smaller specimen of the same species. I mad 2 a very careful examination to-day and can assure you that the facts are as I state.” 
He further added that the large skeleton “is also perfectly symmetrical and must have been a beautiful specimen originally, as 
it now is.” 
194 
