Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-08
D SAVES FAVORITE OF EPICUREANs FROM DIFFERENTIATION

experience is that of trout hatcheries
the latter have found that one fineerling
IS worm hundred fry; the lobster in
vestlgators have established that one
fourth stage crustacean is worth an even
larger number of larvae. These are the
two features of their discoveries which
are expected before long to place the
lobster within the reach OF every one
Not content with these discoveries. how
ever. they have carried on Investigations
into the private affairs of the lobster
until they have laid bare the innermost
secrets of his private life For instance
WheH your order for a broiled live re-
suits in having set before you a creature
winch looks like an overgrown Croton
water bug you are likely to get peevish
and complain of the niggardliness OF
restaurateurs But the Wexford station
has discovered that even that minute
specimen from 9k to 1919 inches long
according to the law Of the state in
whose waters 1t was taken. has needed
development. A legal length lobster is
ordinarily at about the tenth stage.
Giant HOLSTERS.
AS it grows older the period between
molting lengthens. There are records OF
giant Holsters at the WEXFORD hatchery
When one reaches sixteen inches or more
in length several years may elapse be-
tween the dates of shell shedding
The legal length is. generally speaking.
contemporaneous with the arrival at sex
ual maturity. Just preceding this age
comes an interesting phenome non. The
uncooked lobster displayed at the mar
kets is greenish black in color. but the
gay young lobster just reaching its sporty
age shows most of the colors of the spec
trum. In the ninth stage variations from
blue to salmon have been recorded. rang
ing through gray, rusty slate. cream slate.
brown slate and all the other slate shades.
One in the eighth stage was brick red.
In the tenth stage. however. when the
lobster has settled down to domestic life
and is, ready for the boiling pot its col
ors are more sober. Now and then there
is tinge of blue or suggestion of red.
but the green and black which charac-
teriZe the larger ones are the prevailing
modes.
It has also been discovered that most
of the Holsters which have attained the
giant class are males. Some of these
have been veritable monsters. The two
largest of actual record are on exhibition
at the American Museum OF Natural
History. Both were taken off Atlantic
Highlands. n. ]. One weighed thirty
four pounds and the other thrty-one. Ths
larger of the pair was twenty-three anu
three-Quarters inches from nose to tail
and nineteen and three-quarters inches in
gtrth. It's great crushing claw was of
about the same length.
1T Is probable that there are Holsters con-
siderably larger than these. Old fishermen
say that the reason more Of the giants ara
not caught is that the pots used I'm lob
ster fishing are too small at the entrance
to admit them. The law OF Massachu-
sets limits the diameter Of the hoop of 4
lobster pot to six inches, ard obviously Il
specimen nearly twenty inches around
would have trouble i'm getting into such a
trap. Those which have been captured
have fallen victims usually TO trawIers or
Cnyr and
lobster pot, vainly knocking for adms-
sion to get at the bait inside.