﻿OYSTER 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  CAROLINA. 
  255 
  

  

  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  bottle. 
  In 
  localities 
  where 
  Peridinese 
  were 
  found 
  

   to 
  constitute 
  a 
  perceptible 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  diet 
  of 
  the 
  oysters, 
  formalin 
  (20 
  

   cc. 
  per 
  liter) 
  was 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  water, 
  it 
  having 
  been 
  found 
  that 
  other- 
  

   wise 
  these 
  plants 
  were 
  all 
  lost 
  in 
  removing 
  the 
  water, 
  which 
  was 
  carefully 
  

   siphoned 
  off 
  to 
  as 
  low 
  a 
  level 
  as 
  possible 
  without 
  disturbing 
  the 
  settlings. 
  

   The 
  water 
  and 
  settlings 
  remaining 
  in 
  the 
  bottle 
  after 
  two 
  rinsings 
  were 
  

   put 
  into 
  a 
  smaller 
  bottle 
  (6-ounce 
  wide-mouth) 
  and 
  again 
  allowed 
  to 
  

   settle. 
  After 
  a 
  second 
  siphoning 
  away 
  of 
  the 
  clear 
  water 
  the 
  settlings 
  

   had 
  a 
  volume 
  not 
  exceeding 
  15 
  cc, 
  and 
  the 
  diatoms 
  and 
  other 
  organ- 
  

   isms 
  in 
  this 
  residue 
  which 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  species 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  

   to 
  make 
  up 
  the 
  diet 
  of 
  the 
  oysters, 
  were 
  counted 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  as 
  

   those 
  in 
  the 
  stomach 
  contents. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  usually 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  an 
  oyster's 
  stomach, 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  set- 
  

   tlings 
  from 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  water, 
  several 
  species 
  of 
  organisms, 
  chiefly 
  

   diatoms, 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  minute 
  forms. 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  by 
  calcula- 
  

   tion 
  that 
  the 
  food 
  contents 
  of 
  a 
  given 
  liquid 
  may 
  be 
  very 
  accurately 
  

   expressed 
  by 
  considering 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  forms 
  only; 
  for 
  

   example, 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  one 
  Enpodiscus 
  7'adiatns 
  is 
  equal 
  in 
  volume 
  

   to 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  individuals 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  species 
  of 
  

   Coscinodiscus, 
  and 
  although 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  quite 
  numerous 
  in 
  oysters 
  

   from 
  Newport 
  and 
  North 
  rivers, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  discarded 
  without 
  affecting 
  

   the 
  result. 
  

  

  Observations 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  food 
  resources 
  in 
  Newport 
  and 
  North 
  rivers 
  

   were 
  made 
  and 
  recorded 
  weekly 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  seasons 
  of 
  1900, 
  

   1901, 
  and 
  1902. 
  From 
  these 
  records 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  the 
  monthly 
  

   averages 
  which 
  appear 
  in 
  the 
  food 
  tables 
  on 
  page 
  289. 
  The 
  examina- 
  

   tions 
  made 
  in 
  Pamlico 
  Sound 
  covered 
  but 
  short 
  periods 
  of 
  time, 
  in 
  

   1900, 
  so 
  that 
  in 
  each 
  case 
  one 
  average 
  only 
  has 
  been 
  made. 
  

  

  The 
  methods 
  used 
  by 
  Moore 
  in 
  his 
  work 
  in 
  Louisiana 
  differ 
  from 
  

   those 
  just 
  described 
  only 
  in 
  that 
  all 
  species 
  of 
  diatoms 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  

   water 
  were 
  counted 
  and 
  given 
  as 
  the 
  food 
  value 
  of 
  Louisiana 
  waters. 
  

   When, 
  therefore, 
  in 
  his 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  oyster 
  beds 
  of 
  Louisiana 
  (p. 
  

   54), 
  Moore 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  food 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  over 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  

   False 
  Mouth 
  Bay 
  is 
  22,000 
  diatoms 
  per 
  liter, 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  follow 
  that 
  the 
  

   supply 
  of 
  available 
  oyster 
  food 
  in 
  that 
  locality 
  is 
  greater 
  than 
  that 
  in 
  

   the 
  Beaufort 
  region, 
  where 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  each 
  liter 
  to 
  contain 
  about 
  

   14,654^', 
  for 
  if 
  all 
  species 
  of 
  diatoms 
  had 
  been 
  counted 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  

   place 
  the 
  number 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  fully 
  equal 
  to 
  and 
  usually 
  greater 
  

   than 
  that 
  given 
  by 
  Moore. 
  

  

  The 
  method 
  devised 
  for 
  determining 
  the 
  time 
  required 
  by 
  an 
  oyster 
  

   to 
  get 
  a 
  certain 
  amount 
  of 
  food 
  from 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  described 
  on 
  page 
  291. 
  

  

  For 
  ascertaining 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  individual 
  oyster 
  beds 
  the 
  methods 
  

   were 
  suggested 
  by, 
  and 
  carried 
  out 
  under 
  the 
  direction 
  of, 
  Capt. 
  J. 
  A. 
  

   Smith, 
  of 
  the 
  Fish 
  Haiok. 
  The 
  oystermen 
  were 
  questioned 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  a 
  The 
  average 
  from 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  three 
  seasons 
  iu 
  Newport 
  and 
  North 
  rivers. 
  

  

  