THE OYSTER. 39 



and nutritious character, cannot be overestimated; but 

 after we have studied the embryology of the oyster, 

 we shall understand why the natural oysters alone 

 can never utilize all the resources of our waters. 

 We shall see why it is that the oyster is so well fitted 

 for domestication and cultivation, and why the culti- 

 vation of oysters will render the Chesapeake Bay in- 

 comparably more valuable than it has ever been, even 

 before our natural beds began to deteriorate. 



