STATISTICAL AND OTHER INFORMATION. 887 



children are produced from 554 mature men, or 62-6 chil- 

 dren from 1000 mature men. Since 1000 full-grown 

 oysters produce 440,000,000 of germs, then the germ- 

 fecundity of the oyster is to the germ-fecundity of man as 

 440,000,000 to 62*6, or as 7,028,754 to i. On the other 

 hand, the number which arrive at maturity is 579,002 

 times as great with mankind as with the oyster; for of 

 1000 human embryos brought into the world, 554 arrive at 

 maturity, or of 440,000,000 newly born, 243,760,000 would 

 live to grow up ; while of 440,000,000 young oysters, only 

 421 ever become capable of propagating their species. 

 The proportion is then 421 to 243,760,000, or as i to 

 579,002. I am fully persuaded that these figures represent 

 the number of oysters which arrive at maturity more favour- 

 ably than is really the case, since from every thousand of 

 full-grown oysters it is certain that, on an average, more 

 'than 440,000,000 young are produced. The correctness 

 of my argument that the number of oysters which arrive at 

 maturity is very small indeed, as compared with the ex- 

 ceedingly large number of germs produced, is corroborated 

 by the experience of those who have engaged in oyster- 

 culture in France and England, (g) 



AMERICAN STATISTICS. 



The North American oyster ... is longer from 

 the hinge-ligament to the shell-muscle than is the Euro- 

 pean oyster, .... and the left valve is generally 

 more curved than with our oyster. . . . During late 

 years the North American beds have furnished an annual 



(g) See, I. Report on the Oyster and Mussel Fisheries of France, 

 made to the Board of Trade by Cholmondeley Fennel, Inspector of 

 Oyster-Fisheries. London, 1868. II. Report from the Select Com- 

 mission on Oyster-Fisheries, 1876, and Chapters 17-22 (England), 23- 

 26 (France), and elsewhere herein. 



