﻿146 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  194 
  3 
  

  

  from 
  0.16 
  to 
  0.24 
  mg. 
  per 
  oyster, 
  and 
  from 
  1.24 
  to 
  5.12 
  mg. 
  per 
  oyster 
  

   in 
  Long 
  Island 
  Sound, 
  where 
  the 
  average 
  is 
  2.5 
  mg. 
  This 
  last 
  figure 
  

   has 
  enabled 
  someone 
  to 
  calculate 
  that 
  in 
  Long 
  Island 
  Sound 
  the 
  

   oysters 
  accumulate 
  about 
  7.5 
  tons 
  of 
  copper 
  every 
  year 
  from 
  the 
  sea. 
  

  

  The 
  average 
  content 
  of 
  copper 
  in 
  the 
  sea 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  the 
  order 
  

   of 
  0.01 
  part 
  per 
  1 
  million. 
  There 
  is 
  more 
  copper 
  in 
  the 
  fresh 
  water 
  

   coming 
  into 
  Long 
  Island 
  Sound 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  sea 
  ; 
  indeed, 
  the 
  amount 
  

   there 
  fluctuates 
  between 
  1 
  part 
  per 
  1 
  million 
  at 
  high 
  water 
  and 
  0.5 
  

   part 
  per 
  1 
  million 
  at 
  low 
  tide. 
  

  

  Copper 
  salts 
  apparently 
  have 
  a 
  peculiar 
  effect 
  on 
  oyster 
  larvae, 
  

   inducing 
  their 
  attachment 
  to 
  the 
  substratum 
  and 
  initiating 
  their 
  

   metamorphosis. 
  The 
  result 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  best 
  settling 
  areas 
  are 
  found 
  

   on 
  bottoms 
  affected 
  by 
  fresh 
  water, 
  while 
  natural 
  oyster 
  beds 
  occur 
  

   mainly 
  in 
  the 
  mouths 
  of 
  rivers. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  estimated 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  that 
  200 
  tons 
  of 
  copper 
  are 
  lost 
  in 
  sewage 
  each 
  year 
  per 
  1 
  mil- 
  

   lion 
  people, 
  together 
  with 
  50 
  tons 
  each 
  of 
  such 
  metals 
  as 
  magnesium, 
  

   lead, 
  aluminium, 
  and 
  titanium. 
  The 
  10 
  million 
  people 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  

   City 
  provide 
  on 
  this 
  recovery 
  ample 
  copper 
  for 
  their 
  oysters. 
  

  

  Copper 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  metal 
  in 
  the 
  respiratory 
  pigment, 
  

   haemocyanin, 
  which 
  is 
  present 
  in 
  lobsters, 
  shrimps, 
  crawfish, 
  and 
  

   other 
  shellfish 
  and 
  plays 
  the 
  same 
  part 
  as 
  iron 
  does 
  in 
  haemoglobin, 
  

   the 
  respiratory 
  pigment 
  of 
  human 
  red 
  blood 
  corpuscles. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  

   in 
  sardines, 
  herrings, 
  salmon, 
  and 
  other 
  sea 
  animals, 
  and 
  is 
  obviously 
  

   quite 
  an 
  essential 
  element 
  in 
  marine 
  life 
  notwithstanding 
  its 
  lowly 
  

   proportion 
  in 
  the 
  sea. 
  

  

  A 
  considerable 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  trace 
  elements 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  con- 
  

   cerned 
  in 
  the 
  life 
  history 
  of 
  marine 
  organisms. 
  Where 
  there 
  is 
  plenty 
  

   of 
  an 
  element 
  the 
  organisms 
  flourish, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  scanty 
  they 
  are 
  ab- 
  

   sent. 
  When 
  the 
  organisms 
  flourish 
  they 
  live 
  their 
  allotted 
  span 
  and 
  

   die, 
  their 
  skeletons 
  falling 
  to 
  the 
  depths 
  of 
  the 
  ocean 
  and 
  decom- 
  

   posing 
  into 
  their 
  constituents. 
  Where 
  there 
  are 
  vertical 
  currents 
  the 
  

   trace 
  elements 
  are 
  brought 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  once 
  more 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  

   renewed 
  growth 
  of 
  organism; 
  when 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  upward 
  current 
  a 
  

   deposit 
  is 
  formed 
  rich 
  in 
  the 
  trace 
  element. 
  New 
  reactions 
  resulting 
  

   in 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  sedimentary 
  rocks 
  take 
  place. 
  We 
  pass 
  from 
  

   the 
  science 
  of 
  biology 
  to 
  geology. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  elements 
  enter 
  direct 
  

   into 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  organism, 
  others 
  — 
  in 
  particular 
  the 
  heavy 
  

   metals 
  — 
  are 
  believed 
  to 
  be 
  largely 
  taken 
  out 
  of 
  solution 
  by 
  absorption 
  

   on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  protoplasm, 
  a 
  purely 
  physical 
  phenomenon. 
  

   This 
  applies 
  to 
  gold 
  and 
  silver. 
  

  

  GOU> 
  

  

  A 
  matter 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  more 
  credulous 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  public 
  is 
  inter- 
  

   ested 
  is 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  obtaining 
  gold 
  from 
  the 
  sea. 
  Gold 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  

  

  