THE OYSTER AND THE OYSTER INDUSTRY. 41 



ment on each shaft is made with the teeth sloping inward, and when 

 the handles are closed the two are brought together, the whole forming 

 a basketiike affair, 3^7 feet long by about 8 or 10 inches deep. In 

 operation (PL XI, fig. 1), the handles are worked scissors fashion, 

 and the teeth forced under the oysters retained in the basket, which 

 is then lifted (PL XI, fig. 2). 03^ster tongs vaiy in length with the 

 depth of water in different localities. In some ])laces, as in the 

 Kappahannock River, oysters are tonged with such apparatus from 

 a depth of at least 20 feet. 



PATENT TONGS. 



Patent tongs are used quite extensively in Virginia and but very 

 httle elsewhere. From Plate XII, figure 1, it will be seen that their 

 general construction is similar to that of hand tongs, except that the 

 handles are of iron, about 6 feet long and provided with an eye at the 

 end for the attachment of ropes for lowering and raising the tongs. 

 The })asket of the tongs is of considerably heavier material than in 

 case of the hand tongs. Patent tongs are employed in water too 

 deep to admit of the use of ordinary tongs and are raised and lowered 

 by a spool or mndlass, as in Plate XII, figure L While being lowered 

 the tongs are locked open by the short hook seen on one of the handles 

 just above the center pin. When they strike bottom, the consequent 

 release of the weight of the baskets on the handles allows the hook 

 to become disengaged. Tlie tongs are then ''jigged" by jerking 

 upon the rope several times, causing the teeth to sink more deeph^, 

 and then lifted by the windlass. 



SMALL TONGS AND NIPPEES. 



In very shallow water of perhaps 2 to 4 feet in depth small tongs are 

 often used. These consist of two wooden handles about 7 feet long, 

 arranged as in the case of the ordinary tongs, but with only a single 

 bar on each about 10 inches long, each bar being provided with teeth. 

 This instrument is much lighter and more convenient to use in shallow 

 water than ordinary tongs, especiallj- where onij a few barrels of 

 oysters are desired. Such tongs are sometimes called ''nippers." 

 In other regions the term "nipper" is applied to a device of a similar 

 nature, except that, instead of ending in a toothed bar, each handle 

 terminates in a narrow blunt blade, thus forming true pincers or 

 nippers, with which single oysters can be taken or dislodged from 

 rocks or pilings. 



TONGING BOATS. 



In Plate XIII, figures 1 and 2, and Plate XIV, figure 1, are shown 

 various styles of tonging boats. Plate XIII, figure 1 , shows a small boat 

 used on Long Island Sound; and Plate ^III, figure 2, a smaU tonging 

 l)oat at Bayou Labatre, Ala. Plate XIV, figure 1, shows the tj^pe of 

 tonging boat used at Apalachicola, Fla. These boats often" carry 

 an auxilary gasoline engine besides the sails. Such a boat with 

 engine is seen in the figure, returning with a load of oysters which 

 have been obtained by tonging. Boats of this sort often have a shal- 

 low liold into wliich oysters are piled until fidl, after which they are 

 heaped on deck. Plate XII, figure 1, shows a boat equipped with 

 patent tongs. 



