﻿336 
  KEPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Table 
  III. 
  

  

  These 
  measurements 
  illustrate 
  veiy 
  strikingly 
  that 
  03'sters 
  normaJly 
  

   grow 
  longer 
  than 
  thej^ 
  do 
  wide, 
  so 
  that 
  a 
  large, 
  well-shaped 
  adult 
  

   oyster 
  may, 
  in 
  the 
  relation 
  between 
  its 
  width 
  and 
  its 
  length, 
  give 
  a 
  fig- 
  

   ure 
  far 
  below 
  the 
  one 
  expressing 
  the 
  same 
  relation 
  in 
  younger 
  stages. 
  

  

  At 
  first 
  glance 
  it 
  might 
  possibly 
  be 
  thought 
  that 
  the 
  adult 
  "normal" 
  

   oysters 
  were 
  not 
  normal 
  at 
  all, 
  because 
  their 
  width 
  was 
  only 
  66 
  per 
  

   cent 
  of 
  their 
  length, 
  being 
  13 
  per 
  cent 
  lower 
  than 
  the 
  ratio 
  between 
  

   the 
  width 
  and 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  spat 
  referred 
  to 
  in 
  Talkie 
  II. 
  This, 
  

   however, 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  the 
  case, 
  because 
  the 
  relation 
  between 
  width 
  

   and 
  length 
  varies 
  with 
  the 
  age. 
  An 
  old 
  "normal" 
  oyster 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  

   "good" 
  oyster; 
  thus 
  the 
  interesting 
  fact 
  is 
  brought 
  to 
  light 
  that 
  a 
  

   condition 
  which 
  normally 
  occurs 
  only 
  in 
  03'sters 
  of 
  extreme 
  old 
  age 
  

   ma}^ 
  be 
  induced 
  in 
  young 
  ones 
  by 
  crowding. 
  As 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  relations 
  

   between 
  width 
  and 
  length 
  are 
  concerned, 
  therefore, 
  young 
  elongated 
  

   oysters 
  are 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  i:)remature 
  old 
  age. 
  Verrill 
  long 
  ago 
  pointed 
  

   out 
  that 
  great 
  increase 
  in 
  length 
  without 
  corresponding 
  growth 
  in 
  

   width 
  is 
  the 
  natural 
  order 
  of 
  things. 
  " 
  Nearly 
  all 
  the 
  oyster 
  shells 
  

   composing 
  the 
  ancient 
  Indian 
  shell 
  heaps 
  along 
  our 
  coast 
  are 
  of 
  this 
  

   much 
  elongated 
  kind. 
  Nowadays 
  the 
  oj^sters 
  seldom 
  have 
  a 
  chance 
  

   to 
  grow 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  good 
  old 
  age 
  as 
  to 
  take 
  on 
  this 
  form, 
  though 
  such 
  

   are 
  occasionall}^ 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  deeper 
  water." 
  Such 
  mounds 
  as 
  Frofes- 
  

  

  