﻿Development 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  Oyster, 
  

  

  {Ostrea 
  virginiana 
  List.) 
  

  

  By 
  W. 
  K. 
  brooks, 
  

   Associate 
  in 
  biology, 
  Johns 
  Hojyhins 
  University, 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  request 
  of 
  Major 
  Ferguson, 
  Fish 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  

   Maryland, 
  that 
  I 
  should 
  attempt 
  to 
  trace 
  the 
  development 
  

   of 
  the 
  young 
  oyster, 
  I 
  made 
  arrangements 
  which 
  enabled 
  

   me 
  to 
  leave 
  Baltimore 
  a 
  month 
  before 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  my 
  year's 
  

   work 
  at 
  the 
  University, 
  and 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  Seaside 
  Labo- 
  

   ratory, 
  Dr. 
  Martin 
  and 
  Dr. 
  Sihler 
  generously 
  taking 
  charge 
  

   of 
  my 
  classes, 
  and 
  affording 
  me 
  an 
  entire 
  month 
  for 
  uninter- 
  

   rupted 
  work 
  upon 
  the 
  oyster. 
  The 
  United 
  States 
  Coast 
  

   Survey 
  having 
  determined 
  to 
  continue 
  the 
  examination 
  of 
  

   the 
  oyster 
  beds 
  of 
  Pokamoke 
  and 
  Tangier 
  Sounds, 
  Major 
  Fer- 
  

   guson 
  was 
  desirous 
  of 
  having 
  the 
  biological 
  investigations 
  

   commenced 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  locality 
  I 
  therefore 
  arranged 
  to 
  open 
  

   the 
  Seaside 
  Laboratory 
  of 
  the 
  Johns 
  Hopkins 
  University 
  in 
  

   June, 
  1879, 
  at 
  Crisfield, 
  within 
  reach 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  natural 
  oyster 
  

   beds 
  of 
  Tangier 
  and 
  Pokamoke 
  Sounds. 
  

  

  While 
  I 
  regard 
  the 
  information 
  which 
  I 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  obtain 
  

   upon 
  certain 
  purely 
  scientific 
  questions 
  in 
  embryology 
  as 
  the 
  

   most 
  important 
  and 
  valuable 
  result 
  of 
  my 
  summer's 
  work, 
  I 
  

   am 
  aware 
  that 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  persons 
  who 
  are 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  

   habits 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  and 
  in 
  oyster 
  culture 
  would 
  not 
  care 
  to 
  

   read 
  a 
  purely 
  technical 
  embryological 
  paper. 
  It 
  seems 
  best, 
  

   then, 
  to 
  divide 
  my 
  account 
  into 
  two 
  parts, 
  and 
  to 
  give 
  first 
  a 
  

   somewhat 
  popular 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  artificial 
  fer- 
  

   tilization, 
  with 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  a 
  sufficient 
  number 
  of 
  my 
  

   figures 
  to 
  convey 
  a 
  general 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  manner 
  of 
  develop- 
  

  

  