﻿A 
  third 
  view 
  attributes 
  the 
  elongated 
  coudition 
  to 
  crowding. 
  R3^der, 
  

   in 
  his 
  Contribution 
  to 
  the 
  Life 
  History 
  of 
  the 
  Oyster, 
  sa3^s 
  that 
  the 
  

   natural 
  tendency 
  of 
  03'sters 
  to 
  grow 
  upward 
  accounts 
  for 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   the}' 
  become 
  crowded, 
  and 
  crowding 
  makes 
  them 
  narrow 
  and 
  elongated. 
  

   "In 
  all 
  the 
  natural 
  banks 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  had 
  the 
  pleasure 
  of 
  examining 
  

   in 
  the 
  Chesapeake, 
  the 
  individual 
  oysters 
  assume 
  an 
  approximately 
  

   vertical 
  position. 
  The 
  assumption 
  of 
  this 
  position 
  seems 
  perfectly 
  

   natural. 
  AVith 
  the 
  large 
  end 
  downward 
  and 
  the 
  free 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  

   valves 
  directed 
  upward 
  the 
  animals 
  are 
  in 
  an 
  excellent 
  position 
  to 
  feed, 
  

   while 
  the 
  outside 
  vertical 
  surfaces 
  of 
  the 
  valves 
  are 
  well 
  adapted 
  to 
  

   afford 
  places 
  of 
  attachment 
  for 
  the 
  spat. 
  The 
  habit 
  of 
  growing 
  in 
  the 
  

   erect 
  position, 
  where 
  the 
  banks 
  are 
  prolific 
  and 
  undisturbed, 
  causes 
  

   the 
  individuals 
  to 
  be 
  yevy 
  much 
  crowded 
  together, 
  so 
  that 
  the}' 
  do 
  not 
  

   have 
  a 
  chance 
  to 
  expand 
  and 
  grow 
  into 
  their 
  normal 
  shape. 
  From 
  this 
  

   cause 
  — 
  overcrov/ding 
  — 
  the 
  shells 
  of 
  the 
  individual 
  oj^sters 
  become 
  very 
  

   narrow 
  and 
  greatly 
  elongated. 
  The 
  peculiar 
  forms 
  which 
  result 
  are 
  

   known 
  to 
  oystermen 
  as 
  'raccoon 
  oysters' 
  or 
  'cat's 
  tongues.'" 
  Ver- 
  

   rill, 
  in 
  his 
  Vineyard 
  Sound 
  report, 
  points 
  out 
  that 
  old 
  specimens 
  in 
  

   crowded 
  beds 
  often 
  grow 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  foot 
  long 
  and, 
  perhaps, 
  

   only 
  2 
  inches 
  wide. 
  Professor 
  Brooks, 
  in 
  his 
  well-known 
  book 
  on 
  the 
  

   03'ster, 
  also 
  thinks 
  that 
  the 
  elongated 
  forms 
  are 
  due 
  to 
  crowding: 
  

   "The 
  03'sters 
  are 
  crowded 
  together 
  so 
  closely 
  that 
  they 
  can 
  not 
  lie 
  flat, 
  

   but 
  grow 
  verticall}' 
  upward 
  side 
  hj 
  side. 
  The3' 
  are 
  long 
  and 
  narrow, 
  

   are 
  fastened 
  together 
  in 
  clusters, 
  and 
  are 
  known 
  as 
  'coon 
  03'sters.'" 
  

   Dr. 
  Caswell 
  Grave, 
  in 
  his 
  article 
  on 
  the 
  oyster 
  reefs 
  of 
  North 
  Caro- 
  

   lina 
  (1901), 
  believes 
  that 
  the 
  03'sters 
  composing 
  the 
  clusters 
  on 
  the 
  reefs 
  

   are 
  long 
  and 
  narrow 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  their 
  crowded 
  condition, 
  and 
  Dr. 
  

   H. 
  F. 
  Moore, 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Fish 
  Commission, 
  in 
  a 
  personal 
  

   communication, 
  commits 
  himself 
  to 
  the 
  view 
  "that 
  the 
  elongation 
  of 
  

   the 
  03^ster, 
  tending 
  to 
  the 
  raccoon 
  t3'pe, 
  is 
  either 
  due 
  to 
  crowding 
  on 
  

   the 
  beds 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  attempt 
  of 
  the 
  03^ster 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  lips 
  of 
  its 
  shell 
  

   above 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  soft 
  bottom." 
  

  

  These 
  opinions, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  that 
  of 
  Moore, 
  who 
  thinks 
  

   that 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  mud 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  reasons 
  for 
  the 
  elonga- 
  

   tion, 
  agree 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  03\sters. 
  R3'der 
  thinks 
  

   that 
  the 
  crowding 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  natural 
  tendency 
  of 
  oysters 
  to 
  grow 
  

   upward. 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  observe 
  this 
  natural 
  tendenc}^, 
  and 
  I 
  

   believe 
  with 
  Professor 
  Brooks 
  that 
  the 
  crowding 
  brings 
  about 
  the 
  

   upward 
  growth, 
  and 
  not 
  the 
  upward 
  growth 
  the 
  crowding. 
  

  

  OBSERVATIONS. 
  

  

  Young 
  03'sters 
  are 
  f 
  requentl}' 
  found 
  covering 
  shells, 
  rocks, 
  and 
  other 
  

   suitable 
  material 
  so 
  completely 
  that 
  nothing 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  of 
  the 
  objects 
  

   to 
  which 
  the3' 
  are 
  attached. 
  In 
  such 
  collections 
  it 
  is 
  eas3'^ 
  to 
  see 
  that 
  

  

  