1126 OYSTERS, AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



naturalists would be required to deal satisfactorily, within a 

 reasonable time, with the many important problems pre- 

 sented by the British Sea Fisheries. 



The Governments of some foreign States, notably of 

 France, but also on a smaller scale of Norway and Sweden, 

 Holland, Prussia, Saxony, and in a special, and in many 

 respects very noteworthy manner, that of the United States 

 of America, have concerned themselves to obtain the aid of 

 zoologists in developing and managing the resources of the 

 fish industries of their respective territories. The results 

 of the application of accurate knowledge concerning fishes, 

 and such shell-fish as oysters, mussels, pearl-mussels, lob- 

 sters and cray-fishes, have been in some cases strikingly 

 successful ; in other cases time has yet to show what advan- 

 tages may result from the attempts which have been made. 

 In all these countries, however, one very distinct result of 

 the appreciation of the possible value of scientific knowledge 

 of fishes and shell-fish by the State authorities has been 

 this, namely, that zoologists are occupying themselves inde- 

 pendently, and with increasing earnestness, with the investi- 

 gation of all that relates to the life and growth, the food 

 and the enemies, of the marine and freshwater organisms 

 which form the material basis of fisheries. 



In the present Exhibition, accordingly, we see not a 

 few of these scientific results exhibited in the courts assigned 

 to foreign exhibitors ; whilst, on the other hand, in the 

 British department, there is very little which comes under 

 the head of zoological science at all, that is to say, which 

 illustrates the results of exact inquiry into the natural his- 

 tory of the fishes and other animals which are such an 

 immense source of wealth and industry to our seafaring 

 population. . . . (And, towards the conclusion of his 

 very interesting lecture, the eminent Professor says :) 



