308 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



to cover themselves in the Ouse. The reason of the scarcity of Oysters, and consequently 



of their dearness, is because they are of late years bought up by the Dutch. There are 



great penalties by the Admiralty Court, laid upon those that fish out of those {rrounds 



which the Court appoints, or that destroy the Cultch, or that take any Oysters that are 



not of size, or that do not tread under their feet, or throw upon the shore, a Fish which 



they call a Five-finger, resembling a Spur-rowel, because tliat fish gets into the Oysters 



when they gape, and sucks them out. The reason why such a penalty is set upon any 



that shall destroy the Cultch, is because tlicy find that if that be taken away the Ouse 



will increase, and then muscles and cockles will breed there, and destroy the Oysters, 



j they having not whereon to stick their Spat. The Oysters are sick after they have Spat ; 



[but in June and July they begin to mend, and in August they are perfectly well: The 



Male Oyster is black-sick, having a black Substance in the Fin; the Female white-sick (as 



they term it) having a milky Substance in the Fin. They are salt in the Pits, Salter in 



the Layers, saltest at Sea. " See 1722. 



1675— Worlidge, J. Systema AgricultuiiE ; the Mystery of Husbaudry Discovered. 



The second edition. London, 1675. 4°. See 1681. 



Keprint of 16G8. See 1681. 



1681 — Vl^'orlidge, J. Systema Afrricultune, the Mystery of Husbandry Discovered. 



The third edition, with one whole section added (of fish, carp, trout, and 



oyster ponds). London. Tho. Dring. 1681. 4°. 



Not seen. Title from Verslag oiutrent onderzoekingen op de ocster en de oestercultuur 

 betrekking hebbende der Nedcrlaudsche Dierkundige Vereeniging, Leiden, 1883, p. 680. 

 See 1698. 

 1693 — Leu-wenhoek, Anth. van. Animalcules in muscles and oysters. <^Phil- 

 osophical Transactions, London, January, 1693, No. 196, pp. 593-594. 



The animalcules in theoj^sters were possibly the young oysters. To tliis famous ojipo- 

 nent of the doctrine of spontaneous generation belongs the honor of having discovered the 

 existence of spermatozoa in oysters. 

 1697 — Leuwenhoek, Anth. van. Part of a letter concerning the eggs of snails, 

 roots of vegetables, teeth and young oysters. ^Philosophical Transac- 

 tions, London, December, 1697, vol. xix, No. 235, pp. 790-799. 



Discovered September 3, 1697, in " an English oyster," a grayish stuff wliich he took to 

 bo young oysters; yet in 50 others nothing of the kind was discovered. Hence he 

 surmises "that one oyster bringeth forth its young ones much later than the other." 

 1698— Worlidge, J. Systema Agriculturae, the Mystery of Husbandry Discovered. 

 The fourth edition. Loudon, John Taylor, 1698, 4^^. 

 A reprint of 1681. See also 1668. 

 1720 — Rov^rlands, M. Stocking the river Mene with oysters. <^Philosophical 

 Transactions, London, 1720, No. 369, p. 250. 



States that the beds in Menai then furni-shed an abundance of oysters, notwithstanding 

 the fact that none existed in that locality twenty-four years previously, the growth 

 having been started by the personal industry of one planter. 



1722 — Sprat, Thomas. The history of the generation and ordering of green oys- 

 ters, commonly called Colchester oysters. <[History of the Royal Society. 

 Third edition. London, 1722, pp. 307-309. 

 A reprint of 1669. 

 1744 — Bartram, J. Some observations concerning the salt-marsh lauscle, the 

 oyster banks and the fresh-water muscle of Pensilvania. <[ Philosophical 

 Transactions, London, 1744, vol. XLViii, No. 474, pp. 157-160. 

 Likens the growth of oysters in Pennsylvania to that of '• sptintia " or ludliin fig. 

 1755 — Ellis, John. Corallines on oyster shells. <^ Philosophical Transactions, 

 London, 1755, vol. XLViii, part ii, pp. 627-633, Avith two plates. 



Classifies the foinis and describes the manner in wliich corallines grow on oyster sheila 

 •round the British coasta. 



