18 



HISTORY OF THE OYSTER. 



vivipavous, ovoviviparous, or oviparous. The first of 

 these terms refers to animals which bring forth their 

 young alive, derived from two Latin words, vivus, 

 alive, and jJario, to bring forth. The second has the 

 addition of ovo to it, from ovum, an egg, and applies 

 to animals in which the young are hatched from eggs 

 in the interior of the parent, without having any con- 

 nexion with a uterus or womb. The third, oviparous, 

 to animals which bring forth eggs which are after- 

 wards hatched. Of the first mode of reproduction 

 we have examples in man and other mammalia ; of 

 the second, among infusoria and some other ani- 

 malcules, numbers of which may be observed in any 

 puddle ; and of the third, birds form a good example. 

 All animals are either monoecious or dioecious : these 

 terms were originally applied by Linnseus to two 

 orders of plants, the former having the male and 

 female organs on the same plant, or being unisexual ; 

 the latter having the sexual organs distinct on sepa- 

 rate plants, or being bisexual : these terms are now 

 applied also to animals. The first point to be con- 

 sidered is, to which of the first-named divisions the 

 Oyster belongs, viz. viviparous, ovoviviparous, or ovi- 

 parous. My own observations tend to establish the 

 fact that they are ovoviviparous, in support of which 

 view I shall now give a few extracts from my note- 

 book, referring to numerous examinations of the ovaries 

 previous to the expulsion of the young. 



