OYSTER BOTTOMS IN MATAGORDA BAY. 33 



These oysters are the largest and best shaped occurring east of Don; 

 Island Reef. They are much broader and thicker than those found on 

 the neighboring- muddy bottom and averaged from 5^ to 6 inches in 

 length. The shells are moderately thin and the meat- plump, though 

 the flavor is brackish. They would make excellent "shell -lock"' 

 were the salinity of the water somewhat higher. The proportion of 

 young oysters is small. There is a number of large dead shell-. 

 These beds were formerly fished, and are said to have yielded a fair 

 quantity of excellent oysters. 



MIDDLE PATCHES. 



The name Middle Patches is given to six heretofore unnamed, 

 small, compact bodies of oysters lying in the middle of the bay be- 

 tween Boggy Creek and Idlebach Flats. Of these, four have a 

 dense growth and two are scattering, as shown on the chart. The 

 existence of some of these beds is known to the oyslermen, though not 

 their exact position. They are difficult to find, owing to their small 

 size and slight elevation above the surrounding bottom. They range 

 in area from 1 to 2| acres, the total acreage being about 10. 



The dense beds are very productive, detailed examination showing 

 in places an average per square }'ard of 135 oysters over and 78 under 

 3 inches in length. On the scattered beds the yield is much below 

 this, but still considerable. These beds, even the dense ones, an- not 

 very old, the deposit of shells being less than a foot in thickness and 

 the water over them shoaling but slightly, but. there is evidence to 

 show that one of them at least occupies the site of a former bed. 

 which has become covered with a deposit of sand and mud 2 feet 

 deep. 



The beds are composed of rather large, heavy clusters of living 

 oj^sters and dead shells, often embedded for a considerable part of 

 their length in the soft mud. There are very few single oyster-. 

 The average adults are between 4 and (i inches long, with a con- 

 siderable number reaching a length of 7 to 8 inches. The small oys- 

 ters were between l\ and -2 inches long. The shells are rather thin 

 and the oysters, at the time of examination, were in fair condition. 

 though too fresh in flavor. There are a few mussels. These beds 

 apparently have not been worked in recent years. 



BAST POINT BED. 



This heretofore unnamed bed lie- about 750 yards offshore between 

 Idlebach Flat- and Fast Point signal. It has a length of about 850 

 yards and a width of 150. with an area of approximately 23 acres. 

 It consists of a -mall centra] area composed of many dense patches 



