178 Our Food Mollusks 



for the oyster young to exist as in the earlier time, when 

 the waters were clear. 



The early settlers also found oysters in great abun- 

 dance all along the shore southward from Cape Cod. 

 Natural beds were present in many parts of Buzzards 

 and Narragansett bays, and almost everywhere on the 

 Connecticut coast. Just across the sound on the western 

 half of the Long Island shore, they were equally numer- 

 ous. The bays on the sea side of Long Island also 

 contained many oysters. All about Manhattan Island 

 they were very abundant, occurring on both sides of 

 East River and the Hudson, extending up the latter as 

 far as Ossining. The waters about Staten Island bore 

 a rich harvest. In New Jersey, Barnegat Bay, the long, 

 river-like body of water that parallels the shore line, 

 afforded suitable conditions for oyster growth, as did 

 the much larger Delaware Bay, south of it. 



The early colonists on the northern shore established 

 themselves near the coast. It was natural that they 

 should for some time depend largely on the sea for their 

 food. Agriculture on a scale proportionate to their 

 needs had to be developed in the face of great difficulties. 

 On the other hand, the waters contained fishes in in- 

 credible numbers, beaches and flats were crowded with 

 clams, and almost every shallow bay and river mouth 

 supported extensive oyster colonies. These could be ob- 

 tained at all times of the year. Even in New England, 

 with its terrible winters, clams were dug from the 

 beaches, and oysters were sometimes taken through the 

 ice. 



But finally oysters became so scarce in Massachusetts 

 Bay that before the end of the seventeenth century laws 

 were passed taxing those exported, and prohibiting 



