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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



taken up. Many years ago we remember the then small village of 

 Keyport suffering a loss in one season of $50,000. Even a severe 

 storm continued unusually long has smothered the beds by agitation 

 of the mud, for the oyster must keep its nib out of the bottom. But 

 two seasons ago, in one of the branches of Shrewsbury River, a crop 

 was almost entirely lost, the supposition being that it was poisoned 

 by the washing from a new turnpike, in the construction of which a 

 peculiar ferruginous earth had been used. Formerly the oyster 

 throve as a native as high up the North River as Peekskill, and 

 probably its limit was not below fifty miles from the mouth of the 

 river. They are now, however, exceedingly scarce, even as high as 

 Croton. The belief exists that the railroad has destroyed them by 

 the washing from the necessary working of the road, which is con- 

 stantly finding its way to the river-bed. So long ago as 1851, Colonel 

 John P. Cruger, of Cruger's Landing, a very intelligent observer, 

 called our attention to the fact of the mischief thus done. 



And there are meteoric causes which affect the oyster. We have 

 known an unusually severe winter to kill the bivalves in great num- 

 bers. And even the seed in its transport from Virginia has been de- 

 stroyed whole valuable cargoes by foggy weather, and adverse 

 winds. Moreover, as will be seen, the oyster has its deadly enemies 

 in the animate ranks. 



Fig. 5. An Otster-Dredge at work. 



The Physiology of the Oyster. By persons engaged in the 

 business, we have been asked, " Are there hes and shes among the 

 oysters?" The answer of the naturalist would be, "There are not." 

 Low down in the scale of life many animals on their sexual side are 

 singularly suggestive of plants. Take, for example, that splendid 

 grass, Zea mays Indian-corn. On the top of this graceful plant is a 



