﻿15 
  

  

  ■able 
  in 
  nearly 
  every 
  case 
  to 
  judge 
  of 
  the 
  sex 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  

   before 
  I 
  had 
  made 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  microscope. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  fertilize 
  the 
  eggs, 
  all 
  that 
  is 
  necessary 
  is 
  the 
  

   mixture 
  of 
  the 
  i*ipe 
  eggs 
  with 
  a 
  little 
  of 
  the 
  ripe 
  male 
  fluid 
  in 
  

   a 
  drop 
  of 
  water. 
  If 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  a 
  knife-blade 
  be 
  dipped 
  

   in 
  the 
  fluid 
  from 
  a 
  female 
  and 
  touched 
  to 
  a 
  glass 
  slide, 
  and 
  

   then 
  dipped 
  into 
  the 
  fluid 
  of 
  a 
  male 
  and 
  touched 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  slide, 
  and 
  a 
  drop 
  of 
  sea 
  water 
  be 
  added, 
  to 
  cause 
  

   the 
  two 
  to 
  meet, 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  will 
  be 
  fertilized, 
  and 
  their 
  

   ■early 
  stages 
  of 
  development 
  can 
  be 
  studied 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  drop 
  

   •of 
  water, 
  but 
  to 
  secure 
  the 
  fertilization 
  and 
  healthy 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  eggs, 
  several 
  precautions 
  are 
  neces- 
  

   sary, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  a 
  few 
  instruments 
  and 
  pieces 
  of 
  apparatus. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  is 
  a 
  list 
  of 
  the 
  things 
  needed 
  for 
  procuring, 
  

   fertilizing 
  and 
  hatching 
  the 
  eggs: 
  A 
  pair 
  of 
  sharp-pointed 
  

   scissors 
  ; 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  small 
  forceps 
  ; 
  half 
  a 
  dozen 
  watch 
  crystals 
  ; 
  

   a 
  set 
  of 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  dozen 
  glass 
  beakers, 
  or 
  tumblers, 
  of 
  dif- 
  

   ferent 
  sizes, 
  from 
  half 
  a 
  pint 
  up 
  to 
  half 
  a 
  gallon 
  ; 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  

   dipping 
  tubes, 
  or 
  glass 
  tubes 
  six 
  or 
  eight 
  inches 
  long, 
  open 
  at 
  

   both 
  ends, 
  but 
  with 
  one 
  end 
  drawn 
  out 
  to 
  a 
  flne 
  point; 
  a 
  

   -small 
  glass 
  or 
  rubber 
  siphon 
  for 
  drawing 
  the 
  water 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  

   beakers. 
  For 
  tracing 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  eggs, 
  a 
  micro- 
  

   scope, 
  magnifying 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  hundred 
  diameters, 
  and 
  half 
  a 
  

   dozen 
  glass 
  slides 
  and 
  thin 
  glass 
  covers 
  are 
  wanted. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  oysters 
  have 
  been 
  opened, 
  and 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  ripe 
  

   male 
  and 
  one 
  ripe 
  female 
  found, 
  cut 
  oflT 
  the 
  mantle 
  lobes 
  and 
  

   gills 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  with 
  the 
  scissors, 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  visceral 
  mass, 
  

   and 
  tear 
  them 
  out 
  with 
  the 
  forceps 
  and 
  throw 
  them 
  away. 
  

   Cut 
  around 
  the 
  adductor 
  muscle 
  with 
  the 
  scissors, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  

   visceral 
  mass 
  may 
  be 
  lifted 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  shell 
  and 
  transterred 
  to 
  

   a 
  small 
  saucer 
  or 
  to 
  a 
  watch 
  crystal. 
  Holding 
  the 
  visceral 
  

   mass 
  with 
  the 
  forceps, 
  cut 
  out 
  with 
  the 
  scissors 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  

   possible 
  of 
  the 
  digestive 
  organs 
  and 
  liver 
  and 
  throw 
  them 
  

   away, 
  and 
  then 
  chop 
  up 
  the 
  reproductive 
  organs 
  with 
  the 
  

   scissors, 
  picking 
  out 
  and 
  throwing 
  away 
  any 
  fragments 
  of 
  the 
  

   liver, 
  digestive 
  organs, 
  mantle 
  or 
  gills 
  which 
  may 
  present 
  

   themselves. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  young 
  oyster 
  thrive, 
  the 
  

  

  