— 44 — 



and Irish oyster-beds have of late years been showing 

 signs of deterioration. Various causes have been sug- 

 gested for this state of things, and various remedies 

 proposed, but to little purpose ; for the official Reports 

 are every year becoming more ominous, and the 

 possibility which has to be faced is the disappearance 

 of the oyster from many of our most famous fisheries. 

 A close time has hitherto been regarded as an effective 

 remedy ; but, as Professor Huxley lately pointed out 

 at the Eoyal Institution, taken by itself it is absolutely 

 and utterly useless. In other words, it is obviously 

 idle to hope that it can serve any useful purpose for 

 a bed to be closed for three months of the year, if it ia 

 sytemrtically dredged for the other nine. Over-dredg- 

 ing is undoubtedly the chief evil, although it has been 

 greatly augmented by bad dpatting seasons -, and 

 nothing can meet the case but the strict preservation 

 of the beds for three years at least, since that is the 

 least period in which an oyster can become sizeable. 

 Protection during its infancy from its natural enemies, 

 and the maintenance of the bed in a condition favou- 

 rable to oyster life, are the chief lessons which have 

 already been learned from the researches of oyster 

 growers. 



France has long been to the fore in this depart- 

 ment of pisciculture, and the State, with admirable 

 foresight, has ably seconded the efforts of private 

 breeders, and has subsidised scientists to conduct 

 extensive experiments in the embryology and culture 



