308 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



to cover thomsolvea in the Ou3e. The reason of the scarcity of Oysters, and consequently 

 of their dearneas. is hocaiiso tliey are of hite years bought up by the Dutch. There are 

 great penalties by the Admiralty Court, laid upon tlioso that iish out of those ^rrounds 

 which tlie Court appoints, or that destroy the Cultch, or that take any Oj'Sters that are 

 not of size, or that do not tread under their feet, or throw upon the shore, a I'ish wliich 

 they call a Five-fiuj;or, resembling a Spur-rowel, because that fish gets into the Oysters 

 when they gape, and sucks tlieiu out. The reason wliy such a penalty is set upon any 

 that shall destroy the Cultcli, is because they liud that if tliat be taken away the Quae 

 will increase, and tlien muscles and cockles will breed tliere, and de>flroy tlio Oysters, 

 they having not wluiroon to stick their Spat. The Oysters are sick after tliey have Spat; 

 but in June and July they begin to mend, and in August they are perfectly well: Tlie 

 Male Oyster is black-sick, having a black Substance in the Fiu; the Feiuale white-sick (a.s 

 they term it) having a milky Substance in the Fin. Thoy are salt iu tlie Pits, Salter iu 

 the Layers, saltest at Sea. " See 1722. 



1675 — "Worlidge, J. Systema Agricnltnr;^ ; tlie Mystery of Husbandly Discovered. 



The second editiou. Loudon, 1675. 4'^. Sec 1681. 

 Keprint of 1668. See 1681. 

 1681 — Worlidge, J. Systema Ajjcriculturic, the Mystery of Husbandry Discovered. 



The third edition, with one whole section added (of fish, carp, trout, and 



oyster ponds). London. Tho. Driug. 1681. 4'^. 



Not seen. Title from Verslag onitrent onderzockingen op de oester en deoestercultuur 

 betrekkiug hebboude der Nederlandsche Dierkundige Vereenigiug, Leiden, 1883, p. 680. 

 See 1098. 



1693 — Leuweuhoek, Anth. van. Animalcules iu muscles and oysters. <^Phil- 

 osophical Transactions, London, January, 1693, No. 196, pp. 593-594. 



The animalcules iu theoj'sters were possibly the young oysters. To this famous oppo- 

 nent of the doctrine of spontaneous generation belongs the honor of having discovered the 

 existence of spermatozoa iu oysters. 



1697 — Leuweuhoek, Anth. van. Part of a letter concerning the eggs of snails, 

 roots of vegetables, teeth and young oysters. <^Philos()phical Transac- 

 tions, Loudon, December, 1697, vol. xix, No. 235, pp. 790-799. 



Discovered September 3, 1097, in " an English oyster," a grayish stuff which he took to 

 be young oysters; yet in 50 others nothing of the kind was discovered. Hence he 

 .surmises "that one oyster bringetli forth its j'onng ones much later than the other." 



1698 — "Worlidge, J. Systema Agriciilturae, the Mystery of Husbandry Discovered. 



The fourth edition. London, John Taylor, 1698, 4°. 

 A reprint of 1681. See also 1668. 

 1720 — Rovylands, M. Stocking the river Mcne with oysters. <[Philosophical 



Transactions, Loudon, 1720, No. 369, p. 250. 



States that the beds in Meuai then furnislied an abund.ance of oysters, notwitlistanding 

 the fact tli.at none existed in that locality twenty-four years iireviously, the growth 

 having been started by the personal industry of one planter. 



1722 — Sprat, Thomas. Tlie history of the generation and ordering of green oys- 

 ters, commonly called Colchester oysters. <^Hibtory of the Royal Society. 

 Third edition. London, 1722, pp. 307-309. 

 A reprint of 1669. 



1744 — Bartram, J. Some observations concerning the salt-marsh muscle, the 

 oyster banks and tlie fresh-water muscle of Peiisilvauia. <]Philosophical 

 Transactions, London, 1741, vol. XLViii, No. 474, pp. 157-160. 

 Likens the growth of oysters in Pennsylvania to that of " spitntia " or Indian (ig. 



1755 — Ellis, John. Corallines on oyster shells. <^ Philosophical Transactions, 

 Loudon, 1755, vol. xlvjii, part ii, pp. 627-633, with two plates. 



Classifies th(! forms and describes the manner in which corallines grow on oyster sheila 

 •round the British coasts. 



