OYSTER CULTURE IN ENGLAND. 383 



Table showing the number of oysters caught in Poole 



* > j o 



Harbour by fishermen, to whom licences were granted by 

 the magistrates, in the years i88y ; 1888, i88q and 1890. 

 No record as to number of oysters caught was taken before 

 1888. 17 licences were granted to the fishermen in 1887, 

 13 in 1888, none for 1889, and 16 for 1890. 



In the year 1888 the 13 licensed men were dredging 

 for 68 days altogether 424 times, their average catch was 

 68 oysters per boat. N.B. These numbers do not include 

 those taken from the beds of the Oyster Company. 



Oysters caught January 1888, 21,000 ; February, 

 8,400: March; 7,000; April, 2,000, December, 4,200. 

 Total, 42,600 



Oysters caught January 1890, 12,030; February, 

 7,764; March, 2.802; April, 1,050. Total, 23,646. 



The reason why so few oysters were taken in 1890 

 compared with 1888 is because the fishermen had to deliver 

 those smaller than 2^- inches to the water bailiff, whose duty 

 it is to return them, (in that case) to their natural element. 



The fishermen in Poole, in common with their class 

 elsewhere, have some very primitive notions concerning 

 oysters. For instance, they fully believe that in its attack 

 upon the oyster, the star-fish awaits the opening of its shell, 

 and then inserts one of its fingers to scoop out the delicious 

 morsel. The attempt to teach them otherwise would but 

 be met with the scorn of happy ignorance. 



Another belief to which they cling with unshakeable 

 firmness is, that oysters, like cockles, burrow in the sand 

 or mud ; and the reason they give for this, is, that they 

 have collected thousands from off the old discarded beds 

 when only a very small portion of the shell was visible 



