INVERTEBRATE ANIMALS OF VINEYARD SOUND, ETC. 475 



Island, and Connecticut. It is, therefore, probable that the total amount 

 taken on the coast north of Cape Hatteras is not less than 3(),()()(),000 

 bushels annually, having- a value of more than §20,000,000. In making 

 this estimate we should allow for the great increase in bulk and value 

 of many of the Maryland and Virginia oysters that are transplanted to 

 northern waters, and allowed to grow before using. The average value 

 of the northern oysters, both native and transplanted, is probably more 

 than seventy-five cents per bushel. It is, therefore, probable that the 

 above estimate is considerably too low. 



The great oyster-markets of the country are Baltimore and New York. 

 In Baltimore immense quantities of oysters are put up in kegs and 

 cans to supply the distant parts of our own country and also to ship 

 to nearly all foreign countries. In 18G7 it was estimated that more 

 than 10,000 persons were employed in this branch of the business. 

 There were then thirty packing-houses, employing 4,500 openers. In ad- 

 dition to the packing business great quantities of oysters are sold at Bal- 

 timore and sent away in the shell. The total quantity sold at Baltimore 

 exceeded 7,000,000 bushels, of which about 5,000,000 bushels came from 

 Maryland waters, and the balance from Virginia. Of these over 

 1,000,000 bushels were sent to New York, 700,000 to Fair Haven, Con- 

 necticut, where an extensive x;)acking business is carried on, 450,000 

 to Philadelphia, 350,000 to Boston. 



The oyster trade of New Y'ork, several years ago, was estimated at 

 over $8,000,000, employing 2,500 vessels, and it has greatly increased 

 since that estimate was made. 



Among the most common shells that are found attached to oysters 

 are Crepidula fornicata (Plate XXIII, figs, 129, 129a) and C.nnguiformis, 

 (Plate XXIII, fig. 127.) They both occur together on the upper as well 

 as the under valves, and in all cases retain their ordinary characters, 

 except that the latter is more regular in form, and usually has the 

 upper surface slightly convex, instead of being much distorted and 

 with a concave upper surface, as the larger specimens that live on 

 the inside of dead univalves usually are. Its color, when living on the 

 oysters, is always white, while the C. fornicata is always more or less 

 marked w ith brown. 



The common muscle, Mi/tilns edulis, (p. 307) frequently occurs attached 

 to oysters, and when it accumulates on the oyster-beds in large quan- 

 tities it is very injurious. The Modiola hamaiiis (p. 374) is a very pe- 

 culiar-looking muscle, having a broad, often hatchet-shaped, distorted 

 shell, covered with iirominent radiating ribs, many of which are forked. 

 Its color is yellowish or brownish. It somewhat resembles Modiola plica- 

 tula, but is broader and has coarser ribs. This muscle is sometimes 

 found in New Haven Harbor, living on the oyster-beds in considerable 

 numbers, and of full size, attached to the oysters, either singly or in 

 clusters, by the byssal threads. It has been observed only in the sum- 

 mer and fall and it may not have survived the winters, for it is possible 



