OYSTERS, AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



If these figures are referred to one scale, i.e., to the 

 number of oysters obtained by one dredger in an hour, the 

 following are the results : 



AURAY RIVER. 



1877 One dredger in one hour produces 411 oysters. 



18 7 8 747 



1879 ,, ,, ,, 485 



1880 ,, ,, 315 



1881 ,, ,, ,, ,, 262 ,, 



TRINITY RIVER. 



1876 One dredger in one hour produces 453 oysters. 



18 77 453 



1878 ,, ,, 712 



J 879 ,, ,, 566 ,, 



1880 ,, ,, ,, 322 



J 88i ,, ,, ,, ,, 444 ,, 



From the above it will be clearly seen that the beds 

 are becoming less productive ; it is true that in the Trinity 

 River the average revived in 1 88 1, but when it is considered 

 how low the totals have been (in 1881 the total number of 

 oysters dredged was only 601,000) the averages are not 

 very accurate. One portion of a bed, in fact, after remaining 

 undredged for several years, may yield a great quantity of 

 oysters, and thus raise the average considerably. 



In spite of these unfavourable conditions, the produc- 

 tion by the rivers of Auray is not unimportant, as the fol- 

 lowing figures will show : 



