34J: THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. vii. 



and as my principal object is to call attention to their economic 

 importance, the two species, or varieties, will be considered toge- 

 ther. In the Gulf of St. Lawrence, oysters are usually found in 

 very shallow water, nearly always in depths of less than three 

 fathoms, in sheltered bays or mouths of rivers. In New Bruns- 

 wick, as has been shewn before by Perley, they range from 

 Caraquette to Bale Verte. Capt. Purdy informs me that oysters 

 have been taken up on the flukes of anchors, in 7 fathoms water, 

 between Little and Big Caraquette Banks, in the Bay of Chaleurs. 

 On the coasts of Prince Edward Island, oysters are found in 

 suitable localities, from Pinette River to the west point on the 

 Northumberland Straits side; and in Malpeque or Richmond 

 Bay, from Cascumpeque to New London on the northern. In 

 Cape Breton they appear to be confined to Bras d'Or Lake and 

 its tributaries, where the oyster region extends from St. Ann's 

 to Mira River and St. Peter's Bay. The few oysters to be met 

 with ofi" Nova Scotia, occur at Jeddore Head, 20 or 25 miles 

 east of Halifax Harbor, also Country Harbor, St. Mary's River 

 and Lipscombe Harbor, Guysboro' Co., on the outside; and 

 Pictou Harbour, River John, Wallace, Charles River, and Pug- 

 wash, in Northumberland Straits. (Purdy.) We did not find 

 traces even of oysters in any part of the area between Cape 

 Breton and Prince Edward Island, nor in any part of Northum- 

 berland Straits where the bottom is deeper than five or six 

 fathoms, that is to say not in any of the open parts. 



In answer to a letter asking for information on several points 

 connected with the oyster beds of the Gulf, the Hon. W. H. 

 Pope has kindly given me a most interesting and valuable account 

 of the oyster beds of Prince Edward Island, together with many 

 items of practical information on the subject, which no one else 

 is so well qualified to give. The following paragraphs, to which 

 quotation marks are affixed, are extracts from letters received 

 from Mr. Pope, and are printed by his permission. 



'' Oysters have flourished is every tidal river and bay in Prince 

 Edward Island. At the present time, productive oyster beds are 

 found in Richmond, Cascumpec, and Hillsborough Bays, and in 

 the rivers flowing into these inland waters. I might almost say 

 in these localities alone. The produce of the beds in Hillsborough 

 Bay is very inconsiderable. The ofiicial returns of imports and 

 exports to and from Prince Edward Island, for 1872, shew that 

 9,490 barrels of oysters were shipped from this Island in the pre 

 vious year." 



