44 AMERICAN FISHERIKS SOCIETY. 



Rivers ;uk1 "planted " in tlie beds in New Haven Harbor (Lons2; 

 Island Soundj in April, 1881, and were taken for analysis in the 

 following November. 



Two experiments were made. The plan of each experiment 

 consisted in analysing two lots of oysters, of which both had 

 been taken from the same bed at the same time, but one had been 

 " floated " while the other had not. The first specimen was 

 selected from a boat-load as they were taken from the salt water, 

 and the seccMid from the same lot after they had been floated in 

 the usual way in brackish water for forty-eight hours. For each 

 of the two experiments, Mr. Lane selected, from a boat-load of 

 oysters as thev were taken from the salt water, a number, about 

 three dozen, which fairly represented the whole boat-load. The 

 remainder were taken to the brackish water of a stream empty- 

 ing into the bay and kept upon the floats for forty-eight hours, 

 this being the usual practice in the floating of oysters in this 

 region. At the end of that time, the ovsters were taken from 

 the floats and a number fairly representing the whole were 

 selected as before. Two lots, one floated and the other not 

 floated, were thus taken from eacli of two different beds. The 

 four lots were brought to our laboratcjrv for analysis. 



The specimens as received at the laboratory were weighed. 

 Thereupon, the shell-contents were taken out and the shells and 

 shell-contents b(jth weighed. The solid and liquid portions 

 of the shell-contents, i.e., the flesh or "solid" and "liquor" or 

 liquids were weighed separately, and then analyzed. We thus 

 had for each lot, the weights of flesh and liquids, which, together, 

 made the weight of the total shell contents, and the weight of 

 the shells, which witli that of the shell-contents made the weight 

 of the whole specimens. We also had, from the analysis, the 

 percentages of water, nutritive ingredients, salts, &c., in the flesh 

 and in the liquids. From these data the calculations were made 

 of tlie changes which took place in floating. For the details, 

 which are somewliat extended, 1 may refer to the publications 

 mentioned above. It will suffice here to give only the main re- 

 sults. 



The bodv of the animal ma}' be regarded as made up of water 

 and so-called water-free substance. The water-free substance 



