[10] FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



■with the water. By these indications, I was able in nearly every case 

 to judge of the sex of the oyster before I had made use of the micro- 

 scope. 



" In order to fertilize the eggs, all that is necessary is the mixture of 

 the ripe eggs with a little of the ripe male fluid in a drop of water. If 

 the point of a knife-blade be dipped in the fluid from a female and 

 touched to a glass slide, and then dipped into the fluid of a male, and 

 touched to the same part of the slide, and a drop of sea water be added, 

 to cause the two to meet, most of the eggs will be fertilized, and their 

 early stages of development can be studied in a single drop of water, 

 but to secure the fertilization and healthy development of large num- 

 bers of eggs, several precautions are necessary, as well as a few instru- 

 ments and pieces of apparatus. 



" The following is a list of the things needed for procuring, fertiliz- 

 ing, and hatching the eggs: A pair of sharp-pointed scissors; a pair of 

 small forceps ; half a dozen watch crystals ; a set of about half a dozen 

 glass beakers, or tumblers, of diflerent sizes, from half a pint up to 

 half a gallon; two or three dipping tubes, or glass tubes six or eight 

 inches long, open at both ends, but with one end drawn out to a flne 

 l)oint; a small glass or rubber siphon for drawing the water out of the 

 beakers. For tracing the develoj)meut of the eggs, a microscope, mag- 

 nifying at least one hundred diameters, and half a dozen glass slides 

 and thin glass covers are wanted. ^ 



"After the oysters have been opened, and at least one ripe male and 

 one ripe female found, cut off the mantle lobes and gills of the male 

 with the scissors, close to the visceral mass, and tear them out with the 

 forceps and throw them away. Cut around the adductor muscle with 

 the scissors, so that the visceral mass may be lifted out of the shell and 

 transferred to a small saucer or to a watch crystal. Holding the vis- 

 ceral mass with the forceps, cut out with the scissors as much as pos- 

 sible of the digestive organs and liver and throw them away, and then 

 chop up the reproductive organs with the scissors, picking out and 

 throwing away any fragments of the liver, digestive organs, mantle or 

 gills which may present themselves. In order to have the young oyster 

 thrive, the water must be kept free from fragments of the various organs 

 of the adult, as these would soon decay and destroy the embryos, and 

 it IS therefore important to remove them as completely as possible. 

 After the mass has been chopped up as fine as possible, fill up the watch 

 crj-stal with fresh sea water, stir it up, and then allow it to run into one 

 of the smallest beakers, which has been nearly filled with sea water. 

 As the water runs out of the watch crystal, be careful to allow as few 

 of the fragments as possible to run with it." 



"Now fill up the watch crystal with water again, and stir and pour 

 oft' as before, and repeat the process until nearly all of the male fluid 

 has been washed out of the fragments and poured into the beaker. Stir 

 the contents of the beaker for a short time, and then allow it to stand 



