648 OYSTERS, AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



of the mainland and on the east side of the island of Sylt, 

 principally at those points where, after the changing of the 

 currents, the water does not flow fast enough to carry away 

 all of the muddy material which was deposited upon the 

 bottom as the tide ran out. Along the slopes which lie 

 between those portions of the flats, which the tide leaves 

 dry, and the deep channels are long dry stretches of soil 

 where the ground is covered with coarse sand, small and 

 large stones, and shells. At such places colonies of oysters, 

 so-called oyster-beds, are found, along with many other 

 sea-animals. 



OYSTER-BANKS AND OYSTERING. 



By far the greater number of our oyster-beds are never 

 exposed to view, on account of the muddiness of the water 

 of the sea-flats, from the continual stirring up of the sedi- 

 ment upon the bottom. Only when, during the lowest ebb 

 of the spring-tides, easterly winds drive off a great deal of 

 water from the land, does the sea along the border of 

 many beds become so shallow that the oysters can be seen, 

 and even taken up with the hand. This state of affairs 

 occurs upon the oyster-beds which are numerous along the 

 east coast of the island of Fohr, and in one autumn as 

 many as 20,000 oysters could be gathered from these beds 

 by hand, and transplanted into deeper waters. 



Generally one is obliged to use measuring-sticks or 

 dredge-nets, in order to tell when he is over a desired 

 oyster-bed. The measuring-sticks are poles, five to six 

 meters long, with the lower half divided off, by different 

 colours, into feet. They are used from vessels, in shallow 

 portions of the flats, in order to ascertain during the journey 

 whether the depth increases or diminishes, so that the 

 vessel may not run aground. The measuring-rod is pushed 



