Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-06-05

THOUSANDS OF LITTLE ONES ROW ngfNo
TURNED OUT AT WOODS HoLL--A WORK
THAT PROMISES TO aRPlRNsa THE TX.
HAUsTED FISHERIES.
Five hundred lobster. swimming In vatsr IN
q glass jar were Objects Of considerable interest
at the Smithsonian Institution the other day.
The Holsters soon died and were then laid out
in alcohol 10 little glass dish. about the size OF
an ordinary tea-saucer. These Holsters had
been just Matched 1t the Dish commission sta.
ton at Woods Holl and we're brought
on here by Capt. H. @. Chester. the superlu.
tendent OF the station, not with any Idea OF
stocking the waters about Washington. but a.
living and visible evidence OF the latest tri.
umph OF the fish commission. 1--WE can hatch
as many lotstets In Que season." said Capt.
Chester, "as have been caught on the Atlantic
few weeks the practicability Of artificial
propagation OF Holsters on q large scale
satisfaction OF the gentlemen Of the comm I.
sion, and arrangements have been made TO 70
into the business rather extensively at the
The STAR recently published a synopsis OF a
paper by Mr.. Richard Rathbun, giving an &C
count CO; mt, Of the exper,ments BY the Dish com.
The Mcdonald batching jar was used In
those experiments. The Jars OF the pattern
used In Matching cod were applied this spring
to the lobster Matching. aud The results have
been VI the utmost Importance. These jars,
whose operations have Geen described In THE
STAR in connection with ood huicniug, provide
a sort VI tidal motion In the water, u gentle
rise and fail. It is believed that Jars con-
struoted and operated Oh the principles " the
fishes. Already the Jars have been used with
success In hatching mackerel nnd tautog.
$4,000 IN A JAR.
Mr.. Rathbun stated to q STAR reporter that
the extent OF lobster Matching was limited only
by the number OF Jars At Woods Hoil. There
r..
and 1000 eggs could be matched vt time In
each jar. Ii was expected >OOn to have % jars
in operation. Ihe fishermen IN the neigh.
large supplies Of female loCs.srs with
eggs, but most of them are declined,
as me station has not yet tho iaciIities for
brood from which the 500 young Holsters sent
here were taken, were put into tile Jars i. bout
Nay LIST. and began hatchiug about May 17,h.
servati"us Indicate that the hatchtng season
begins about the middle OF May, aud continues
The conditions under which the young HOLSTERS
enter life make IL lin. racticabis u transport
them overland any great distance. They must
changes Of water, else they die. They eau. II Is
Thought he transported easily In vessels along
the cUast for STOCKING purposes.
Experiments have, however, been made with
apparatus tor transporting adult HOLSTERS, the
results Of which, considered IN the same con-
nection, arr hardly less important than Those
shown that the adults carrying eggs eau be
safely taken ACROSS tue continent " the Pacific
any nu,noer desired. Tue Pacific slope has no
lobster worth speaking I'll. II Is probable that
one or two car-louds OF Holsters bearing eggs
Will he shipped ~ tue Pacific this season. with
the view vi planting tho young on the Caliior-
mia Coast aud in Puget sound.
EXHAUSTION OF THE LOBSTER FISHERIES.
The necessity OF attempting the artificial
propagation Of Holsters has been manifest for q
long time 1t is not Improbable that the
lobster would have soon almost entirely disap-
found l9r keepin: up the supply. The number
lobster has been rapidly decreasing from
A sort OF transplanting OF youna HOLSTERS has
been going ON along Lie New England coast,
and especially the southern portion OF II. ever
since the well-smack lOUster trade began. I'm.
mense quantities Vi embryo iObsters appear ut
the surface vi the wells In the Carrier siiacxs
Journey along they work out through the holes
In the bottum Of the well, and are thus cOn-
slanty adding 10 tho supply Of the regions
through which the smacks pass.
HOW NATURE DOES IT.
Unlike most fishes. the lobster carries its
eggs until they hatch. The eggs are fertilizsd
while yet In the ovaries, and are soon afterwards
extruded, but the length OF the period of de-
veiopment Is mot yet known. As they issue
from the body Of The female they are cuatsd
short, tough aud very flexible threuds, by means
OF wnicn tney are utlacned In 0uncnes or
clusters In Variable sizes " the swinlnerets
and under surface OF the abdomen or tail The
eggs are comparatively large tabout one
twel.tn of an inch in diameter) and hardy. aud
far u sas 4s lsos
5as. s., - they asa, $.sasi,y
and the egg becomes quite transparent, reveal
ing Lie enoryo lobster within. Tine female lob
ster Carries the eyss with hsr In this Way until
they are lnatured. Her constant motion xloug
The sea bottom In search of toOd keeps them
agitated aud provides for d circulation OF water
among th<in. This provision VI nature IL coun.
terieited In the motion OF tue water in the
hatcning Jars.
II is supposed from observations made that In
case the eggs are not halched during tue hatch-
i'll. seAsOa. that the female carries then with
her through the year until the next season.
Tue eggs are easi y cut from the sw,innnersts
aud under SURFACE OF the lobster by meaus Of
small sharp scissors. wi.nout Injury either 10
The lobster or u Tue egg. rs there u no organic
connection between tncin.
THE YOUNG LOBSTER
when drst hatched measures about third OF
an inch In length, aud looks like a small
shrimp. The eyes are bright blue, and upon its
them very conspicuous. They are good swim
mers during the urst stages Of their growth, be.
fore their claws and other awkward &ppenda,e.
are Developed, aud Indulge In the most extruV-
asant antics Ia Tie water, turning sOInerxaulL,,
and going through other acroLalic feutx nsar
the surface. Nature docs not provide them with
any yelk-sac, and the little Oues begin
leedinX vortctously aS souu hatcned.
II they are not FURNISHED with proper food they
ATTACK one another with Gambia. istic intent.
Tue young Holsters III the aquariA ~ Woods
doli are led upon their mothers, wno are
chopped up due or Tie purpose. In nature IL
Is supposed that myriads VI the little Holsters
upon rising "a the suriace, alter leaving the
,g', are consumed by prcduceous fishes. Dr.
Il, der, who IL Investigating the little HOLSTERS
at Woods H0ll, wriue, tuaL ne has found among
tncm some curious iiionStrNsities, such twins
witn their netus fused, u central cyciopean eye
aud tails separate. Inc lobster grows by st.gos
or "molt" The first mVIins, rs observed Az
Woods holl, takes place ABOUT tive days alter
leaving tiie egg.
THE GROWTH OF THE LITTLE ONES.
The stages through which tue American
lobster PASSES have aoL been closely studied,
but they are supposed TO correspond with those
Of the European ,oOster, which have bssn Oh
served care. July. In about twenty -four days
the little lo0ster passes uto tho fourth stage In
which 1t RESEMBLES Inc adult lobster In form
aud motion, though IL still retains Its bright
cuiors. The neavy claws tneu be:iu " develop
aud weight down the little creature. Whei,
turty-six days Old, In the nth stage, its rowing
iiie comes " an end, and 1t snks W the bottom,
there " spend tue rest OF its days
Tue lobster Is not migratory In the ordinary
SENSE oi Tue word. II is u slow traveller, crawl
ing upon tile sea bottom, aud lis travels are
c,nnh.d To All annual movement, ipsuore aud
out During the summer IL comes 10 The Gun.
parativeiy swallow water, near the shore, ana
In tne WATER moves Out W greater depths. 1t il
A