﻿286 
  EEPOKT 
  OF 
  COMxUISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  many 
  species 
  of 
  diatoms 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  stomachs 
  of 
  Beau- 
  

   fort 
  03"sters, 
  but 
  wliich 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  talien 
  into 
  account, 
  either 
  because 
  

   of 
  their 
  minuteness 
  or 
  their 
  scarcity, 
  one 
  ma}' 
  be 
  mentioned 
  which, 
  

   after 
  Navicula 
  didyma^ 
  was 
  next 
  in 
  value. 
  It 
  is 
  an 
  undetermined 
  

   species 
  of 
  Coscinodlscus^ 
  and 
  was 
  usually 
  present 
  in 
  the 
  stomachs 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  greater 
  numbers 
  than 
  the 
  individuals 
  of 
  Eupodiscus. 
  

   It 
  lives 
  above 
  the 
  bottom, 
  like 
  the 
  latter, 
  and 
  has 
  the 
  same 
  disk 
  form, 
  

   but 
  it 
  is 
  so 
  minute 
  that 
  150 
  individuals 
  would 
  be 
  required 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  

   volume 
  equal 
  to 
  one 
  Eupodiscus. 
  

  

  The 
  relative 
  values 
  of 
  the 
  four 
  forms 
  considered 
  in 
  the 
  tables 
  are 
  as 
  

   follows: 
  The 
  volume 
  of 
  an 
  individual 
  Eupodlscm 
  being 
  100, 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  

   til 
  iment 
  of 
  3felosira 
  scidpta 
  is 
  33i, 
  of 
  a 
  Pleurosigma 
  individual 
  10, 
  of 
  

   a 
  Ncmicida 
  didyma 
  individual 
  3i. 
  

  

  The 
  supply 
  of 
  oyster 
  food 
  in 
  Pamlico 
  Sound 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  sufficiently 
  

   investigated 
  to 
  warrant 
  definite 
  statements 
  regarding 
  it. 
  Two 
  sec- 
  

   tions 
  only 
  have 
  been 
  studied, 
  section 
  16, 
  containing 
  Swan 
  Quarter 
  

   Bay, 
  and 
  section 
  10, 
  Wyesocking 
  Ba}", 
  both 
  on 
  the 
  Hyde 
  County 
  

   shore. 
  Furthermore, 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  determining 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  avail- 
  

   able 
  food 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  was 
  developed 
  onh' 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  sound. 
  The 
  tables 
  therefore 
  show 
  the 
  food 
  value 
  

   of 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  but 
  one 
  section, 
  W5'esocking 
  Bay, 
  and 
  that 
  for 
  very 
  

   short 
  periods 
  during 
  one 
  spring 
  and 
  winter. 
  The 
  figures 
  given 
  for 
  

   Swan 
  Quarter 
  Bay 
  were 
  obtained 
  after 
  the 
  survey 
  of 
  that 
  section 
  had 
  

   been 
  completed, 
  from 
  a 
  single 
  examination 
  of 
  some 
  oysters 
  obtained 
  

   from 
  the 
  Swan 
  Quarter 
  Narrows 
  while 
  the 
  survey 
  of 
  Wyesocking 
  Bay 
  

   was 
  in 
  progress. 
  Opportunity 
  to 
  obtain 
  specimens 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  oysters 
  

   for 
  further 
  examination 
  was 
  not 
  afforded. 
  Qualitative 
  examinatioijs 
  

   (with 
  the 
  microscope) 
  had 
  been 
  made, 
  however, 
  of 
  the 
  contents 
  of 
  the 
  

   stomachs 
  of 
  the 
  03^sters 
  from 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  section 
  16 
  and 
  

   from 
  these 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  food 
  on 
  the 
  inshore 
  beds, 
  of 
  which 
  

   the 
  beds 
  in 
  Sw^an 
  Quarter 
  Narrows 
  are 
  examples, 
  is 
  quite 
  different 
  

   from 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  deeper 
  water 
  offshore, 
  Peridineaj 
  being 
  

   much 
  more 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  oysters 
  from 
  the 
  Narrows. 
  The 
  food 
  

   resources 
  of 
  section 
  16 
  also 
  differed 
  considerably 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  section 
  

   10, 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  noted 
  from 
  the 
  table. 
  

  

  In 
  section 
  10 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  food 
  in 
  March 
  was 
  very 
  much 
  richer 
  than 
  

   in 
  November 
  and 
  December. 
  The 
  difference 
  in 
  amounts 
  noted 
  at 
  these 
  

   times 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  normal 
  variation 
  pertaining 
  to 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  the 
  3'ear, 
  

   but 
  it 
  was 
  more 
  probabh^ 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  extreme 
  drought 
  of 
  1900, 
  which 
  

   caused 
  the 
  density 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  over 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  entire 
  sound 
  to 
  

   rise 
  much 
  above 
  its 
  normal. 
  The 
  plants 
  constituting 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  oys- 
  

   ters 
  in 
  sections 
  10 
  and 
  16 
  were 
  not 
  found 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  sea 
  or 
  in 
  

   the 
  sections 
  near 
  the 
  inlets, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  they 
  thrive 
  only 
  

   in 
  the 
  very 
  brackish 
  water 
  conditions 
  which 
  usualh" 
  prevail 
  along 
  the 
  

   western 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  sound. 
  

  

  