228 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
On July 2 two lots of lobsters were liberated, 60 at Lackey Bay and 49 at Woods 
Hole. Of the former, 5 were recaptured, as follows : 
No. 
Liberated. 
Recaptured. 
No. of 
Distance 
Locality. 
Date. 
Locality. 
Date. 
days free. 
(miles). 
980 
Lackey Bay - 
July 2 
Vineyard Sound 
July 11 
9 
0 
0 
999 
1020 
do 
July 20 
July 23 
July 7 
18 
0 
0 
21 
6 
wsw. 
1034 
do 
do ... 
Wepeekets 
5 
2 
NW. 
1098 
do 
....do ... 
Kobiuson Hole 
July 20 
18 
8 
WSW. 
It will be noted from the above that the trend of migration of all those that had 
traveled a considerable distance after liberation was in the same general direction as 
that taken by those liberated from the stations mentioned. 
The lobsters in the second lot liberated on July 2 were thrown into the water 
near the Fish Commission station, and not only is the direction of their course inter- 
esting, but the rate of movement of certain individuals is far beyond one’s expectation. 
The animals traveled down the bay in a west southwesterly direction at a rate that 
seemed to indicate their desire to place as much distance as possible between them- 
selves and the hatchery. No. 1000 made the journey from Woods Hole to Cuttyhunk 
in 3 days, No. 1022 reached the neighborhood of the Hen and Chickens lightship in 6 
days, and No. 1014 reached an equally remote point in 7 days. The following table 
will give additional data relative to the movements of this last series: 
No. 
Liberated. 
Kecaptured. 
No. ot 
days free. 
Distance 
(miles). 
Direction. 
Locality. 
Date. 
Locality. 
Date. 
970 
14 
14 
WSW. 
971 
do 
11 
14 
WSW. 
977 
14 
wsw. 
991 
Woods Hole 
5 
0 
1000 
.. do ... 
3 
12 
wsw. 
1006 
.. do ... 
do ... 
75 
3 
wsw. 
1009 
do ... 
Woods Hole 
9 
0 
1010 
do ... 
11 
12 
wsw. 
1013 
Woods Hole 
5 
0 
1014 
do 
15 
wsw. 
1019 
3 
w. 
1022 
6 
15 
wsw. 
1030 
.. do ... 
do ... 
75 
4 
wsw. 
1054 
do . . . 
do . .. 
75 
3 
w. 
1055 
July 26 
24 
11 
wsw. 
Attention has already been called to the strong migratory impulse which controlled 
the movements of the animals set at liberty, and it must be left for subsequent obser- 
vations to determine the reason therefor. During the latter part of June and the 
early part of July the water near Woods Hole ranges in temperature from 62° to 
69° F., and as the water in this portion of the bay and sound is received from the 
presumably cooler water of the southwest, the inclination of the liberated animals to 
seek cooler water may account for the uniformity in their movements. But lobsters 
are caught about the station during the entire summer, and the uniformly small size 
of these animals would indicate that they remain in the locality during the season and 
are not caught as they pass through the sound on their migrations. 
It has been already suggested that the uniformity in the movements of the tagged 
lobsters may be the result of a homing instinct. This question might be answered in 
