The city markets are now so well supplied with these delicious shell-fish that they may be obtained in good condition all the year, but they are usually cheaper in the spring. Lobsters are put alive into boiling salted water, and cooked twenty minutes from the time the water boils. The shells are dark green when alive, but turn bright red when put into boiling water.

Lobsters should not be eaten until cold, and should never be kept more than eighteen hours after boiling. They have been considered difficult of digestion, probably on account of their being eaten when not fresh, or with an excess of condiments, or in unwholesome combinations ; for it has been proved repeatedly that persons whose digestive organs are weak can eat plain lobster without any unpleasant effect.