362 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISTI AND FISHERIES. 



JMuseum arc iiiaiiy spcciincus Iruia the CluU" of (;aIiloiiiia so labeled. 

 Compared with Ostrea viryinica, itis o( similar size and appearauce, 

 and to the su])erhcial observer uudistingiiishable from it. It is found in 

 the lag'oonsof theeastern shore of the Gulf from ^Nrazatlan to the vieinity 

 of the Ilio Colorado, and is said to abound at a point opposite Georj>e 

 Island, well up the .n'ulf. Tt is found also on tlu^ western side of the 

 j^iilf at Angek's Bay, opposite the southern end of An<;el Cruardia 

 Island, and near Salinas Bay on Carmen Islaml. Tlie oysters of both 

 of these h)calities are said to be well flavored, and shipments from the 

 hitter have been made to San Francisco. 



Dr. Edward Palmer, of the Department of Agriculture, informs me 

 that he first saw the natural oyster deposits of the Yaqui River lagoons 

 twenty years ago, and that there was then more traflic in them than at 

 the present time. He ascribes the origin of the large mounds of oyster 

 shells so conspicuous there to tlie drying of oysters by Indians, for sale 

 among tlie mines of Sonora and Sinaloa. These oysters are still gath- 

 ered by Indians, and are used in the hotels of (luaymas the year round. 

 They are usually stored in the bay awaiting the arrival of the steamers. 

 Many are sent by rail to Ilermosillo, and a few are shipped by steamei' 

 to La Paz. Considerable ([uantities are taken from a stream near 

 Altata, at the mouth of the gulf, and sent toCuliacan, in the interior, 

 over the Sinaloa and Durango Kailway. 



I found a small oyster {Ostrca pahnula, variety glomerata) abundant 

 on the roots of the mangroves in Concepcion Bay, on the west side of 

 the gulf. I obtained another species {Ostrca palmula) farther south at 

 San Josef Island, but it was represented only by dry shells, our stay 

 there being too brief to i)ermit any extended search for the original 

 deposits. The Itirge Ostrca iridescens was occasionally brought up by 

 the beam trawl of the Albatross in dredging along the western shores of 

 the gnll'. 



The Mexican Oyster Company. — This company was in existence in 

 1808, 18G1), and 1870. Oysters were brought from the natural beds of 

 Altata and ^Vcapulco, and sold readily in San Francisco at -J5 cents 

 apiece. Their arrival was announced by placards on steamer day. As 

 many died on the voyage, the business was never profitable, and was 

 finally ruined by the introduction of eastern oysters upon the comple- 

 tion of the overland railway in 1870. 



Australian oysters. — A sack of oysters was recently brought to San 

 Francisco by a steward of one of the Australian steamers. These oys- 

 ters wer(! sold by i\l. B. Moraghan at his stand in the California market 

 and were considered as good as eastern oysters. 



