SIXTEENNH ANNUM, MF.ETING. 



persuaded, however, that the results of such series of trials, if 

 they could be made, — and I wish they might be — would be very 

 similar to those of the trials here reported. 



It is very interesting to note that these processes which we 

 have been considering in the body of oyster are apparently verv 

 similar to processes which go on in our own bodies, namely 

 those by which our food, after it is digested, finds its way 

 through the walls of the stomach and other parts of the alimen- 

 tary canal into the blood, to be used for nourishment. Physi- 

 ologists tell us that the passage of the digested materials through 

 the walls of the canal is in part merely a physical action, due to 

 osmose, but that it is in part merely dependent upon a special 

 function of the organs. In like manner the changes in the com- 

 position of the oyster, if the above explanation be correct, are 

 caused partly by osmose, and partly by special secretive action, 

 the cell walls and outer coating of the body of the oyster cor- 

 responding to the walls of the alimentary canal in the human 

 body. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



The main points presented in this paper may be very briefly 

 summarized thus. 



In the floating of oysters for the market a practice which is 

 very general and is also used for other shell-fish, the animals 

 are either taken direct from the beds in salt water and kept for 

 a time in fresher (brackish) water before opening, or water is 

 added to the shell-contents after they are taken out of the shell. 



When this treated, the body of the animal takes up water and 

 parts with some of its salts; and small quantities of the nutritive 

 ingredients escape at the same time. The oysters thus become 

 more plump and increase considerably in bulk and weight. But 

 the quantity of nutritive material, so far from increasing, suffers 

 a slight loss. 



In the experiments here reported, the increase in bulk and 

 weight amounted to from one-eigth to one-fifth of the original 

 amounts. This proportion of increase is about the same as is 

 said to occur in the ordinary practice of floating or "fattening" 

 for the market. According to this, five quarts of oysters in tiieir 



