Evening star., 1950-11-10
'Homing Instinct Found
In Lobsters as in Birds
Return to Feeding Grounds
Over Obstacles Put in Way
By Thomos R. Henry

Lobsters, like birds and some fish, have
o remarkable "homing instinct"
They will find their way back to their
feeding grounds over distances Of more
than two miles with all sorts Of obstacles
put in their way.
This has Just been. reported to the
American Association for the Advance
ment OF Science here by Drs. Edwin p.
Creaser and Dorothy Travis Of the Ber-
nuda Biological Station. They tagged
the crustaceans in various ways. The
finding. they believe, may have con-
siderable effect on the lobster industry.
First tagged Holsters were taken from
their feeding grounds to a point on the
beach two miles overland but five miles
by sea. It was necessary to swim around
q small cape to get back home. About
20 percent Of the Holsters succeeded.
There were no landmarks with which
they possibly could have become IA
miliar.
Taken 2 Miles to Sea.
In another experiment they were
taken two miles to sea and dropped over
board in water $500 feet deep. In the
face Of adverse tides many Of them
found their way back to the starting
point. There were no prevailing cur.
rents to guide them.
The findings indicate that the homing
instinct is entirely below the level Of
consciousness. as Is probably the case
with fish who return year after year to
the same breeding grounds.
It seems apparent, says the report.
that the Holsters are fully aware" Of
their locations and can return to their
original summer feeding grounds when
released elsewhere. How this is accom-
plished remains an unanswered and
puzzling biological mystery.
Weight Of pigs can be increased by as
much as 20 pounds in three months by
additions Of barely perceptible amounts
of the element cobalt to their feed.
This has just been reported TO the
American Association for the Advance
ment of Science here by DR.. Earle w.
Klosterman and his associates Of the
North Dakota Agricultural College.
Two groups of five hogs Of identical
weights and breed were compared. One
lot was fed an ordinary mash for 90
days. They gained an average Of slightly
over 110 pounds. Another lot was fed
the same mash with the addition Of
cobaltized salt. In the same period they
added 131 pounds. Another lot fed the
same mash with traces of cobalt, cop
per, iron and manganese gained slightly
more.
Action Still Obscure.
It has recently been recognized that
cobalt is one of the elements necessary
for good health in mammals but ordi-
narily enough of it is obtained from the
diet. The mechanism Of its action II
still obscure.
At the last meeting Of the American
Chemical Society, however, it was re-
ported that notably faster growth could
be obtained when hogs were given ex-
tremely minute amounts Of the new
vitamin B IL which seems to be a nearly
certain cure for some types Of anemia
In humans It is synthesized in the
intestines, but sometimes not in suf1i-
cient amounts. This vitamin. by far the
most potent biological substance yet
discovered, contains cobalt. r-.--.
The obvious theory is that additions
Of this element to the diet make it
possible for the hogs to synthesize more
of the powerful growth vitamin in their
own digestive processes. The effect is
thus the same as that Of feeding the sub.
stance direct. There is some evidence,
however, that the cobalt has some other
function. the North Dakota experiment.
ers report.