112 NEW SOUTH WALES 



printed early in 1877. The Report was accompanied by the draft of a 

 Bill, which it was hoped would have been taken up by the Government 

 and passed into law, but unfortunately no further steps were taken in 

 the matter. 



There is no part of the world better, we might almost say so well, adapted for 

 the growth and culture of the oyster as New South Wales. The climate, the 

 natiire of the coast line, with its numerous inlets and creeks, and the natural 

 existence of the best varieties of the bivalve itself, all combine to mark this country 

 out as the most likely of all places for siiccessful ostreiculture. Unlike the coasts 

 of England, Scotland, and Europe generally, where the coldness of the tempera- 

 ture in summer is sufficient to prevent sometimes the shedding of the spat at all, 

 and always to limit the quantity of it, here we have invariably the spat distributed 

 with a profusion which under proper regulations would make our oyster supply 

 unlimited and inexhaustible. And yet with all the advantage of a bounteous 

 supply we are actually informed that the natural beds are so nearly exhausted that 

 a bag of oysters can now only with difficulty be raised in a day, where a year or 

 two ago it would have been easy to dredge 50 busliels in the same time. The same 

 process of exhaustion, with a few praiseworthy exceptions, is going on in the 

 leased beds, and we can see no remedy for this crying evil except by making it 

 more to the interest of those leasing oyster beds to conserve, improve, and keep up 

 the supply, than to clean the beds out in the shortest possible time and have 

 done with them. — R.R.C. 



Many of the suggestions made above have been already carried into 

 effect by the Fisheries Act of 1880, as will be notified in its proper place. 



A few words on the possibility of oyster culture in the manner which 

 is so successful in pisciculture may be iiiserted here. The list above 

 given of the species or varieties of oysters in Australia is very nearly 

 all that we know on the subject, and that is very little. Of that little, 

 much is uncertain. Many experienced persons do not regard the rock 

 oyster as distinct from the drift oyster, as I have already mentioned ; 

 they say that the difference arises merely from the manner in which it 

 is reared, and to this opinion I am disposed to subscribe, for reasons 

 which have appeared in the previous remarks. One would think that 

 there is not much to be said about the organs or parts of an animal so 

 simple in structure as the oyster, but this is not the case. Perhaps it 

 is for want of a knowledge that can be easily obtained that so little has 

 been done, and this I propose to remedy in a few explanations which 

 are necessary in order to understand what I have to say on the matter. 



Oysters are spoken of as being fat and lean, and their .shells are 

 described as upper and lower, all of which terms are a source of con- 

 fusion. There is no fat in an oyster. What is usually known as such 

 is the ovary or milt, that is to say, the roe or unfertilized eggs of the 

 male, and the soft roe or fertilizing fluid of the male. These organs 

 form the great mass of oysters which are in good condition. Oysters are 

 of distinct sexes. It has been suggested that there may be an altenation 

 of the sexual character, and those which are males one season may be 

 females another. Such things are not unheard of in the animal king- 

 dom, and there is some evidence in its favour in the case of oysters. 

 On the whole, however, the weight of evidence is against it. These 

 remarks apply to the habits of the European and American species. 

 Of the Australian species we know nothing, except from analogy. They 

 are nearly allied to oysters in other parts of the world, and may even be 

 specifically identical. What is therefore true of one may be true of all. 

 Before proceeding further, definitions of terms must be given. 



