158 THE OYSTER. 



The accompanying table shows the number of oys- 

 ters of each class which we obtained upon the beds 

 which we visited, and the ratio between them. 



Thus we found upon the Bodkin bar in November, 

 1882, no large oysters, 225 medium oysters, 355 small 

 ones, and no young, and there were at that time 100 

 small ones for each 6^ of medium size. 



In June, 1883, we found no large ones, and the 

 small ones which we had found in November had 

 grown to a medium size, and there were no small ones 

 growing up to take the places of these when removed by 

 the season's dredging. This result seems at first sight 

 to indicate that the fishing this season (1884) will ex- 

 haust the Bodkin bed and put an end to work there, 

 but in truth the case is not quite so discouraging, for 

 our second examination was made before the end of 

 the spawning season, and an examination in the fall 

 might have given a different result. 



In order to be trustworthy, an examination of this 

 kind should be made every year, in the same month, 

 and if the oysters of various sizes upon each bed could 

 be counted twice every year, in May or June, and in 

 September or October, the results would be very 

 valuable and would soon furnish a very exact means 

 for ascertaining the condition of the beds. This evi- 

 dence would be the more valuable, as it would soon 

 enable us to determine, a year or more in advance, 

 how many marketable oysters a bed could yield with- 

 out injury. 



In the absence of any records of the numbers of 

 oysters of various sizes in previous years, our table is 

 of no particular value, but we give it in full, in order 

 to facilitate the work of comparison in the future. 



