﻿OYSTER 
  REGIONS 
  OF 
  APALACHICOLA 
  BAY, 
  ETC. 
  219 
  

  

  is 
  still 
  quite 
  small, 
  and 
  it 
  makes 
  a 
  depression 
  of 
  corresponding 
  size. 
  

   Through 
  the 
  external 
  opening 
  food 
  and 
  oxygen 
  are 
  taken, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  

   animal 
  grows 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  its 
  domicile 
  is 
  enlarged 
  until 
  there 
  is 
  formed 
  

   an 
  egg-shaped 
  chamber 
  communicating 
  with 
  the 
  exterior 
  by 
  a 
  short 
  

   canal 
  of 
  much 
  smaller 
  diameter, 
  the 
  organism 
  thus 
  becoming 
  impris- 
  

   oned 
  in 
  a 
  cell 
  of 
  its 
  own 
  making. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  excavation 
  the 
  shell 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  is 
  often 
  pene- 
  

   trated, 
  but 
  the 
  mantle 
  is 
  thus 
  stimulated 
  to 
  lay 
  down 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  shelly 
  

   matter 
  over 
  tlie 
  inner 
  opening 
  and 
  the 
  leak 
  is 
  promptly 
  repaired. 
  

   Where 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  such 
  burrows, 
  the 
  drain 
  upon 
  the 
  oyster 
  in 
  

   making 
  repairs 
  may 
  cause 
  a 
  deterioration 
  in 
  the 
  quality 
  of 
  its 
  flesh, 
  

   as 
  has 
  been 
  observed 
  where 
  the 
  boring 
  sponge 
  is 
  troublesome. 
  

  

  Another 
  cause 
  tending 
  to 
  produce 
  irregularities 
  is 
  the 
  inclusion 
  of 
  

   mud 
  and 
  sand 
  between 
  the 
  shell 
  and 
  the 
  mantle. 
  The 
  layer 
  of 
  shell 
  

   deposited 
  over 
  the 
  foreign 
  material 
  produces 
  blister-like 
  excrescences, 
  

   which 
  when 
  broken 
  open 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  contain 
  offensive-smelling 
  mud. 
  

  

  The 
  collection 
  contained 
  no 
  organisms 
  which 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  feed 
  upon 
  

   the 
  oyster. 
  

  

  The 
  specimens 
  from 
  all 
  stations 
  showed 
  evidence 
  that 
  good 
  conditions 
  

   for 
  Slotting 
  must 
  have 
  prevailed 
  during 
  the 
  preceding 
  spawning 
  season. 
  

   In 
  nearly 
  every 
  lot 
  there 
  were 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  young 
  oysters, 
  varying 
  from 
  

   f 
  inch 
  to 
  2^ 
  inches 
  in 
  length. 
  In 
  most 
  cases 
  they 
  were 
  so 
  closely 
  

   crowded 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  would 
  have 
  failed 
  to 
  reach 
  maturity 
  and 
  

   the 
  survivors 
  would 
  surely 
  have 
  been 
  unshapely. 
  In 
  one 
  case 
  the 
  

   interior 
  of 
  one 
  old 
  shell, 
  the 
  valves 
  of 
  which 
  still 
  held 
  together, 
  con- 
  

   tained 
  about 
  15 
  oysters 
  ranging 
  in 
  size 
  from 
  1^ 
  to 
  If 
  inches, 
  and 
  in 
  

   several 
  instances 
  the 
  strong 
  growth 
  of 
  tlie 
  young 
  had 
  killed 
  the 
  old 
  

   oyster 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  attached. 
  

  

  A 
  careful 
  examination 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  siiecimens 
  from 
  East 
  Hole. 
  

   The 
  oysters 
  of 
  this 
  bed 
  are 
  covered 
  by 
  a 
  vegetable 
  growth 
  when 
  taken, 
  

   and 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  permeated 
  by 
  hair-like 
  substances 
  when 
  prepared 
  for 
  

   canning. 
  Neither 
  in 
  the 
  flesh 
  nor 
  in 
  the 
  intestines 
  of 
  these 
  specimens 
  

   was 
  there 
  any 
  filamentous 
  matter, 
  though 
  the 
  alimentary 
  canal 
  contained 
  

   considerable 
  sand 
  and 
  gritty 
  material 
  which 
  might 
  be 
  noticed 
  when 
  the 
  

   oysters 
  were 
  eaten. 
  

  

  So 
  far 
  as 
  could 
  be 
  judged 
  from 
  the 
  alcoholic 
  specimens, 
  the 
  oysters 
  

   from 
  this 
  bed 
  were 
  "poorer" 
  than 
  those 
  from 
  other 
  places, 
  and 
  in 
  con- 
  

   sequence 
  the 
  radial 
  muscles 
  of 
  the 
  mantle 
  stood 
  out 
  in 
  relief. 
  It 
  seems 
  

   hardly 
  possible 
  tlmt 
  the 
  oystermen 
  could 
  mistake 
  these 
  muscle 
  fibers 
  

   for 
  filaments 
  of 
  a 
  parasitic 
  organism, 
  but 
  I 
  am 
  assured 
  that 
  the 
  so-called 
  

   hairs 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  alga 
  which 
  is 
  found 
  attached 
  to 
  

   the 
  shells. 
  This 
  plant 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  i)arasitic 
  and 
  makes 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  oj'ster 
  

   shell 
  merely 
  as 
  a 
  solid 
  jflace 
  of 
  attachment, 
  as 
  the 
  young 
  spat 
  utilizes 
  

   the 
  old 
  shell 
  for 
  the 
  same 
  purpose. 
  The 
  filaments 
  of 
  this 
  seaweed 
  may 
  

   be 
  sometimes 
  carried 
  into 
  the 
  shell 
  by 
  accident, 
  but 
  even 
  then 
  they 
  

   would 
  not 
  become 
  imbedded 
  in 
  the 
  flesh. 
  

  

  The 
  mantles 
  of 
  tliese 
  oysters 
  were 
  somewhat 
  darker 
  than 
  those 
  from 
  

  

  