﻿388 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [8] 
  

  

  evident 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  young 
  - 
  oysters, 
  like 
  the 
  adults, 
  are 
  wholly 
  

   without 
  teeth 
  or 
  triturating 
  organs 
  of 
  any 
  kind. 
  

  

  This 
  minute 
  kind 
  of 
  vegetable 
  and 
  animal 
  food 
  is 
  found 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   abundantly 
  in 
  all 
  sea-water, 
  and 
  is 
  especially 
  abundant 
  during 
  the 
  

   spawning 
  season, 
  when 
  the 
  decomposition 
  and 
  disintegration 
  of 
  all 
  kinds 
  

   of 
  minute 
  organic 
  debris 
  floating 
  about 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  in 
  rapid 
  prog- 
  

   ress, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  prevalent 
  high 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  air 
  and 
  water. 
  

   It 
  is 
  therefore 
  probable 
  that 
  very 
  few 
  otherwise 
  suitable 
  locations 
  exist 
  

   where 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  possible 
  to 
  find 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  the 
  proper 
  sort 
  of 
  food 
  

   for 
  the 
  oyster 
  during 
  its 
  very 
  earliest 
  stages 
  of 
  growth. 
  

  

  12. 
  Food 
  of 
  the 
  adults. 
  — 
  The 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  slightly 
  more 
  advanced 
  spat 
  

   and 
  the 
  adults 
  is 
  found 
  to 
  consist 
  of 
  diatoms, 
  rhizopods, 
  infusoria 
  of 
  all 
  

   kinds, 
  monads, 
  spores 
  of 
  algre, 
  pollen 
  grains 
  blown 
  from 
  trees 
  and 
  plants 
  

   on 
  shore, 
  their 
  own 
  larvae 
  or 
  fry, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  many 
  other 
  mollusks, 
  

   of 
  bryozoa 
  and 
  minute 
  embryos 
  of 
  polyps 
  and 
  worms, 
  together 
  with 
  

   other 
  fragments 
  of 
  animal 
  or 
  vegetable 
  origin, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  even 
  

   minute 
  crustaceans. 
  In 
  variety 
  of 
  food, 
  the 
  oyster 
  therefore 
  has 
  a 
  wide 
  

   range 
  of 
  choiee. 
  There 
  are 
  also 
  few 
  locations 
  otherwise 
  well 
  adapted 
  

   which 
  will 
  not 
  supply 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  food 
  for 
  the 
  animal, 
  which, 
  it 
  is 
  

   to 
  be 
  remembered, 
  captures 
  and 
  hoards 
  millions 
  of 
  these 
  minute 
  plants 
  

   and 
  creatures 
  in 
  its 
  stomach, 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  digested 
  and 
  incorporated 
  

   into 
  its 
  own 
  organization. 
  It 
  therefore 
  follows 
  that 
  when 
  we 
  eat 
  an 
  

   oyster 
  we 
  are 
  consuming 
  what 
  it 
  required 
  millions 
  of 
  the 
  minutest 
  organ- 
  

   isms 
  in 
  the 
  world 
  to 
  nourish. 
  The 
  oyster 
  is 
  consequently 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  living 
  

   storehouse 
  for 
  the 
  incorporation 
  and 
  appropriation 
  of 
  the 
  minute 
  life 
  of 
  

   the 
  sea, 
  which 
  could 
  never 
  be 
  rendered 
  tributary 
  to 
  the 
  food-supply 
  of 
  

   mankind 
  in 
  auy 
  other 
  way 
  except 
  through 
  the 
  action, 
  growth, 
  and 
  or- 
  

   ganization 
  of 
  this 
  mollusk. 
  

  

  13. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  coves. 
  — 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  partially 
  land-locked 
  coves 
  or 
  

   inlets 
  with 
  narrow 
  mouths 
  are 
  favorable 
  to 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  the 
  minute 
  

   life 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  oyster 
  feeds, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  such 
  locations 
  that 
  some 
  

   of 
  the 
  finest 
  oysters 
  are 
  grown. 
  But 
  oysters 
  of 
  excellent 
  quality 
  are 
  

   also 
  grown 
  in 
  deep 
  water, 
  as 
  the 
  experience 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Eowe 
  has 
  shown. 
  

  

  14. 
  Greening. 
  — 
  I 
  formerly 
  supposed 
  that 
  green 
  fleshed 
  oysters 
  were 
  

   confined 
  to 
  beds 
  which 
  were 
  located 
  in 
  narrow 
  coves 
  or 
  inlets; 
  in 
  fact, 
  

   there 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  predisposition 
  to 
  develop 
  the 
  green-fleshed 
  condi- 
  

   tion 
  when 
  oysters 
  are 
  cultivated 
  in 
  ponds 
  or 
  claires. 
  Eecently 
  I 
  find 
  

   that 
  my 
  original 
  conclusion 
  must 
  be 
  modified, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  that 
  

   green-fleshed 
  oysters 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  open 
  water 
  and 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  4 
  to 
  

   5 
  fathoms. 
  As 
  already 
  stated 
  elsewhere, 
  this 
  condition 
  is 
  now 
  well- 
  

   known 
  to 
  arise 
  from 
  the 
  absorption 
  of 
  the 
  coloring 
  matters 
  in 
  certain 
  

   kinds 
  of 
  food 
  which 
  is 
  consumed 
  by 
  the 
  animal, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  

   in 
  no 
  way 
  impaired 
  or 
  rendered 
  hurtful 
  as 
  food. 
  (See 
  note 
  X, 
  in 
  Ap- 
  

   pendix.) 
  

  

  15. 
  Effects 
  of 
  currents. 
  — 
  The 
  effects 
  of 
  currents 
  of 
  water 
  are 
  also 
  to 
  be 
  

   taken 
  into 
  account. 
  When 
  a 
  current 
  sweeps 
  around 
  a 
  gravelly, 
  shelly 
  

  

  