226 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
the rate of travel of these and other lobsters taken by him can not be given. It will 
be noted that the general course of the lobsters is toward the south and west. 
On the 18th of June 94 lobsters were tagged and placed on the steamer that runs 
from Woods Hole to Hew Bedford. The writer deposited 33 of these in Buzzards Bay, 
near the westerly opening of Woods Hole; 17 when the steamer was about midway 
between Woods Hole and Hew Bedford; 33 at a point south of West Island, and 11 as 
the steamer passed Black Bock. For convenience these stations have been named A, 
B, 0, and D, respectively, and are so indicated on the chart at the end of this paper. 
Along this course of the steamer there is an almost continuous series of lobster pots 
extending entirely across the bay, many of them owned by Greeks and Portuguese, 
who are somewhat disinclined to return the tags, preferring to keep them as charms. 
It is perfectly safe, therefore, to conclude that only a small proportion of the tags 
taken are finally returned to the Commission. 
From station A, 4 tags were recovered; from station B, none; from station C, 4, 
and from station If, 2. The details are as follows: 
No. 
Liberated. 
Recaptured. 
No. of 
days free. 
Distance 
(miles). 
Direction. 
Locality. 
Date. 
Locality. 
Date. 
618 
Station A 
June 18 
Near Hen and Chickens.. 
July 15 
27 
16 
wsw. 
628 
42 
12 
wsw 
629 
do 
21 
4 
WNW. 
July 2 
14 
4 
WNW. 
650 
do ... 
13 
9 
sw. 
654 
...do 
....do ... 
11 
4 
E. 
667 
July 7 
19 
6 
sw. 
681 
12 
0 
0 
699 
do ... 
21 
0 
0 
705 
12 
0 
o 
Hone of the lobsters distributed on June 18 took a northerly course, and although 
three were taken at points roughly described as east of their place of liberation, four 
traveled toward the mouth of the bay, all of them considerable distances, and Ho. 018 
made a journey of 16 miles between June 18 and July 15, twenty-seven days. This 
is the longest distance traveled by any of the lobsters. Those liberated at stations B, 
C, and D were taken originally at Cuttykunk. The fact that two of these, Hos. 050 
and 067, returned to their former place of capture may indicate a strong homing instiuct. 
On the 24th of June 62 lobsters, originally from Hoank, Stoningtou, and Block 
Island, were liberated at Quicks Hole at a point indicated on the chart. The tags 
of eight of these were returned to the Commission. The details are as follows: 
Liberated. 
Itecaptured. 
No. of 
days free. 
Distance 
(miles). 
Direction. 
Locality. 
Date. 
Locality. 
Date. 
11 
0 
0 
do 
4 
0 
0 
(?) 
( ? ) 
SSE. 
6 
2 
E. 
. . do 
. ..do . 
July 8 
(?) 
14 
(?) 
5 
SE. 
July 19 
6 
wsw. 
July 5 
11 
2 
E. 
Of the animals liberated on June 24, it might be said that their course was not so 
characteristically toward the south as were the courses taken from some of the other 
stations, but the three which had traveled a sufficient distance from the point of 
liberation to give a distinct trend to their course did move in the same direction as 
