﻿14 
  

  

  3aid 
  by 
  the 
  European 
  oyster 
  is 
  given 
  by 
  Eyton, 
  (History 
  of 
  

   the 
  Oyster 
  and 
  Oyster 
  Fisheries, 
  by 
  T. 
  C. 
  Eyton. 
  London 
  : 
  

   1S6S). 
  He 
  says, 
  p. 
  24, 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  about 
  1,800,000, 
  and 
  

   therefore 
  agrees 
  pretty 
  closely 
  with 
  Mobious. 
  

  

  An 
  unusually 
  large 
  American 
  oyster 
  will 
  yield 
  nearly 
  a 
  

   cubic 
  inch 
  of 
  eggs, 
  and 
  if 
  these 
  were 
  all 
  in 
  absolute 
  contact 
  

   with 
  each 
  other, 
  and 
  there 
  were 
  no 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  ovaries 
  or 
  

   other 
  organs 
  mixed 
  with 
  them, 
  the 
  cubic 
  inch 
  would 
  contain 
  

   500% 
  or 
  125,000,000. 
  Dividing 
  this, 
  as 
  before, 
  by 
  tw^o, 
  to 
  

   allow 
  for 
  foreign 
  matter, 
  interspaces 
  and 
  errors 
  of 
  measure- 
  

   ment, 
  we 
  have 
  about 
  60,000,000 
  as 
  the 
  possible 
  number 
  of 
  

   ■eggs 
  from 
  a 
  single 
  oyster. 
  

  

  Although 
  each 
  male 
  contains 
  enough 
  fluid 
  to 
  fertilize 
  the 
  

   eo-crs 
  of 
  several 
  females, 
  there 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  much 
  dif- 
  

   fercnce 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  individuals 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  sexes. 
  When 
  

   a 
  dozen 
  oysters 
  are 
  opened 
  and 
  examined, 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  five 
  

   or 
  six 
  ripe 
  females 
  and 
  no 
  males, 
  but 
  in 
  another 
  case 
  a 
  dozen 
  

   oysters 
  may 
  furnish 
  several 
  ripe 
  males 
  but 
  no 
  females, 
  and 
  in 
  

   "the 
  long 
  run 
  the 
  sexes 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  about 
  equally 
  numerous. 
  

   Oystermen 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  male 
  may 
  be 
  distinguished 
  from 
  

   the 
  female 
  by 
  certain 
  characteristics, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  

   black 
  pigment 
  in 
  the 
  mantle, 
  l)ut 
  microscopic 
  examination 
  

   shows 
  that 
  these 
  marks 
  have 
  no 
  such 
  meaning, 
  and 
  that 
  there 
  

   are 
  no 
  differences 
  between 
  the 
  sexes 
  except 
  the 
  microscopic 
  

   ones. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  necessary 
  to 
  use 
  the 
  microscope 
  in 
  every 
  case, 
  

   however, 
  for 
  a 
  little 
  experience 
  will 
  enable 
  a 
  sharp 
  observer 
  

   to 
  re(;ognize 
  a 
  ripe 
  female 
  without 
  the 
  microscope. 
  If 
  a 
  little 
  

   of 
  tiie 
  milky 
  fluid 
  from 
  the 
  ovary 
  of 
  a 
  female 
  with 
  ripe 
  or 
  

   nearly 
  ripe 
  eggs, 
  be 
  taken 
  upon 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  a 
  clean, 
  bright 
  

   knii'e 
  blade, 
  and 
  allowed 
  to 
  flow 
  over 
  it 
  in 
  a 
  thin 
  film, 
  a 
  sharp 
  

   eye 
  can 
  barely 
  detect 
  the 
  eggs 
  as 
  white 
  dots, 
  while 
  the 
  male 
  

   ■fluid 
  appears 
  perfectly 
  homogeneous 
  under 
  the 
  same 
  circum- 
  

   stances, 
  as 
  do 
  the 
  contents 
  of 
  the 
  ovary 
  of 
  an 
  immature 
  female, 
  

   or 
  one 
  which 
  has 
  finished 
  spawning. 
  When 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  

   mixed 
  with 
  a 
  drop 
  of 
  wa.ter, 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  diffused 
  through 
  it 
  

   "without 
  difficulty, 
  while 
  the 
  male 
  fluid 
  is 
  more 
  adhesive 
  and 
  

   "difficult 
  to 
  mix 
  with 
  the 
  water. 
  By 
  these 
  indications, 
  I 
  was 
  

  

  