THE OYSTER. 2 II 



this fishing- resulted in the capture of all marketable 

 oysters. 



Native oysters were abundant at Wellfleet, on Cape 

 Cod, at the time of the first white settlements, and for 

 more than a hundred years the town was famous for 

 its oysters, but they became extinct in 1775, through 

 excessive tonging, although the inhabitants attributed 

 their destruction not to their own rapacity, but to a 

 disease sent by Providence upon the oysters, as a 

 punishment for the sins of the fishermen, who were 

 more worthy of such an infliction than the helpless 

 oysters. 



In all of these cases the exhaustion of the beds has 

 been brought about almost or entirely without the use 

 of dredges, although in a few cases dredges may have 

 been used to a slight extent. 



The list might be greatly extended were it not for 

 the fact that upon all the more southerly beds dredges 

 as well as tongs have been used. 



Enough instances have been given to show that the 

 prohibition of dredging will not save any bed which 

 can be reached with tongs, and as the dredge is much 

 more scientific, effective and economical apparatus than 

 the rude tongs which it has superceded, there is no 

 reason why its use should be prohibited. 



In one way the use of dredges is a positive advan- 

 tage to the beds. On a natural bed which has never 

 been dredged, the oysters grow side by side in clus- 

 ters, so crowded together that they have no room to 

 grow. Most of them die when very young, and the 



