NATURAL HISTORY OF AMERICAN LOBSTER. 
incessant activity at night whether in search of prey or not; its irregular migratory 
movements to secure, it may be, a rocky bottom where food and better places of con- 
cealment abound, deeper or warmer water, or, in a word, those conditions which for 
the time suit better certain individuals of one or the other sex for feeding, spawning, 
or shedding the shell — these may all be observed in either free or captive animals. 
In every movement the lobster is guided chiefly by the chemical sense and that of 
touch, and, least of all, by its eyes. Thus vision, which is never keen, is probably 
almost nil in bright lights. This explains its nocturnal activity and its frequent retreat 
from light to shadow. 
Of the habits of the European lobster, Williamson { 282 ) remarks that it has the 
sense of light and shade, that it will test a strong shadow with its antennae, and will 
even jump at it with outstretched and snapping claws. It is guided mainly by its 
antennae, with them finding and exploring every cavern, and with them searching its 
depths before entering or inserting a claw. As I shall point out elsewhere, the wary 
lobster, “tiptoeing” over the bottom, feels its way at every step. If food is thrown 
to the captive, no appeal is made to its sense of sight. The bait remains unnoticed 
unless it happens to touch one of the antennae or legs; but a lively whipping of the anten- 
nules seems to announce the awakening of the chemical sense. The lobster immediately 
takes notice and begins to explore the water with its long “feelers,” at first without 
leaving its hole. The antennules begin to whip in the direction of the food and explora- 
tions become more active. The lobster cautiously leaves its hole, goes straight for the 
bait, feeling its way. The food is usually picked up and handed to the mouth parts by 
the second pair of legs. 
Meanwhile, says Williamson, the expected feast has by association stimulated the maxillipeds, 
which are actively working as if they were already masticating the food. Once this is seized it is con- 
veyed to the maxillipeds and the lobster retreats to its hole, there to enjoy its meal. Two lobsters were 
noticed to have stored up in one case some mussels and in the other a dead sand eel {Ammodytes 
tohianus) in the inner recesses of their caves. 
In regard to the interesting question of storing food, we give the account of a 
lobster which was kept at the Rothsay aquarium in England ( 302 ): 
A flounder was unintentionally left in one of the aquaria, in which three lobsters were living. The 
largest animal immediately appropriated the fish, which was then dead, and buried it beneath a heap 
of shingle, over which it mounted guard. Five times within 2 hours was the fish unearthed, and as 
often did the lobster shovel the gravel over it with his huge claws, each time ascending the pile and 
turning his bold defensive front to his companions. 
To this catalogue of instincts we must add the parental instinct of the mother 
lobster in protecting her cargo of eggs during the long period of fosterage. The paren- 
tal instincts of birds are, as a rule, far keener than in the invertebrates; but it should 
be added that in many of our commonest birds they endure for a time which is only 
an eighth or a tenth as long. Through her inbred caution the mother lobster saves 
not only herself but her progeny from many a strong and clever adversary. Barring 
the fisherman’s trap, she will run the gauntlet of daily life, escape a thousand perils. 
