PREFACE 5 ime 
SESSIONAL PAPER No. 38a + 
Unfavourable causes are noticed, viz.:—(1) Eggs must be fertilized within a 
quarter of an hour of ejection to undergo normal development; (2) Eggs may be pre- 
vented from settling by agitation in the water; (3) Floating enemies such as water- 
fleas, and the young of other shellfish, devour them; (4) Owing to the sweeping of the 
tide, twice daily, myriads of oyster fry are lost; (5) Slime, silt, ete., prevent the 
fixation of the spat to dead shells and other “ pulieh ”: (6) Boring sea- Lele starfish, 
bottom fishes, ete., devour the oysters, and, laser man himself destroys them. 
Systematic plans of conserving oyster beds are then detailed, and the necessity of 
oyster leases urged. The methods adopted for testing the special areas examined in 
Richmond Bay are described, and the numbers of oyster larvae obtained in definite 
cubie quantities of water. The maximum found was two young oysters to one quart 
of water in Grand River. This small yield is contrasted with the profusion of oysters 
cn more southerly areas as in New Jersey, where several hundred young oysters per 
quart of water was very usual. Some oysters shed their eggs towards the end of July, 
but the date varied in different localities, fry ten days old being got on August 5th, 
but it continued until September, some oysters becoming fixed spat as late as Septem- 
ber 16th or 18th. 
To prevent the formation of bacterial slime, a number of shells were coated with 
coal tar, as a fine catch of spat had fastened on the tarred bottom of a boat the previous 
season. The result showed only two-fifths as many fixed young as on the uncoated 
clean oyster shell. ‘Ihe smooth and the rough side were equal in results, and the left 
valve attracted twice as many as the right valve, though in gaping empty oyster shells, 
lying naturally on the bottom, the right valve always secures more spat. Further 
experiments are desirable, especially with cultch coated with a cement composed of 
equal parts of lime, sand, and cement, as used on European oyster beds. Dr. Nelson’s 
conclusion is that 8,000 acres might be made productive in Richmond Bay, which 
covers 32,000 acres, and that a million bushels per annum could be produced were 
rational scientific methods adopted. 
€. THE Marine ALGAE OF THE PAssAMAQuUOpDy Recion, N.B.—(Mr. A. B. Klugh, M.A.) 
Mr. Klugh covers in his paper the area from St. Stephen, at the head of naviga- 
tion on the St. Croix River, to Grand Manan, and notes that the algal flora is boreal, 
but shows a marked “ inside” or mainland shore division; and an “ outside” division 
comprising the shores of what are called the West Isles, and due doubtless to the 
cifference in salinity. The “outside” waters have a specific gravity of 1-0235 to 
1-0242, and salt content of 3-201 to 3-280, as compared with the “inside” waters 
where the figures are—specific gravity 1-0226 to 1-0235, and salts 2-99 to 3-202, as 
Mr. Copeland found. Of the Cyanophycee Mr. Klugh names twelve species; the 
Chlorophycese 24 species; the Phaeophycee 23 species; and the Rhodophycee 26 
species. 
The features of the shores are shown in views on Plate viii, the gigantic Laminaria 
longicruris, the largest alga in this region, is well shown in a photo-figure, the specimen 
selected being five feet ten inches long, with a stipe 9 feet long. Dermocarpa prasina, 
and four other species of Cyanophycex, are recorded by the author for the first time 
in Canada. The habitat, and other interesting notes are given. 
7. SERIALLY STRIPED Happock 1x New Brunswick.—(Professor Prince.) 
Specimens of haddock with four to six transverse black stripes are frequently 
brought to the Biological Station, and the author compares them with other species 
showing metameric bars, in post-larval or older stages, and he concludes that they are 
ancestral in significance, and not protective or illustrative of mimicry and the like. 
38a—B 
