THE OYSTER. 155 



of dredgings are made. In 1876 Mr. Otto Lugger 

 visited most of our beds, and measured the quantity 

 of shells and of oysters obtained from each. Ashe 

 made a great number of observations, his results give 

 us a means of ascertaining the average ratio in 1876. 

 His results, obtained by the examination of twenty 

 beds, show that in 1876 the dredge brought up 3yVo 

 bushels of oysters for each bushel of shells. In 1878 

 and 1879 Lieut. Winslow examined in the same way 

 seventeen beds in Tangier Sound, and found that only 

 ^tW bushels of oysters were obtained for each bushel 

 of shells. 



In November, 1882, we examined fourteen beds in 

 this way, and found that the average had fallen from 

 3y\% in 1876 and iy^/,3- in 1879 to lyVo bushels in 

 1882. Thirty-two beds were examined in the same 

 way in the summer of 1883, and nearly the same 

 ratio was obtained, there being if bushels of living 

 oysters for each bushel of dead shells. 



The results of this examination are given in full in 

 the following table. 



