﻿26 
  

  

  As 
  my 
  observations 
  upon 
  the 
  developing 
  eggs 
  occupied 
  all 
  my 
  

   time, 
  I 
  was 
  not 
  able 
  to 
  make 
  any 
  record 
  of 
  the 
  temperature 
  

   of 
  the 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  ocean, 
  but 
  during 
  June 
  there 
  were 
  a 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  cold, 
  windy 
  days 
  and 
  nights, 
  and 
  two 
  hail-storms, 
  and 
  

   on 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  cold 
  days 
  all 
  the 
  embryo 
  which 
  I 
  had 
  in 
  the 
  

   house 
  died. 
  

  

  Before 
  I 
  close 
  this 
  portion 
  of 
  my 
  paper, 
  I 
  wish 
  to 
  call 
  at- 
  

   tention 
  to 
  some 
  points 
  of 
  general 
  interest, 
  which 
  have 
  sug- 
  

   gested 
  themselves 
  to 
  me 
  during 
  the 
  prosecution 
  of 
  my 
  work. 
  

  

  At 
  first 
  sight 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  possible 
  that 
  an 
  animal 
  which 
  

   is 
  encased 
  in 
  a 
  hard, 
  strong, 
  protecting 
  shell, 
  and 
  which 
  is 
  

   capable 
  of 
  giving 
  rise 
  to 
  several 
  million 
  eggs 
  every 
  season, 
  

   can 
  be 
  in 
  any 
  danger 
  of 
  extermination; 
  and 
  it 
  seems 
  as 
  if 
  

   the 
  oyster 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  hold 
  its 
  own 
  in 
  the 
  struggle 
  for 
  

   existence, 
  and 
  to 
  increase 
  and 
  multiply 
  in 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  

   adverse 
  circumstances. 
  

  

  It 
  appears 
  wonderful 
  that 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Chesapeake 
  

   Bay 
  are 
  not 
  paved 
  with 
  oysters, 
  and 
  persons 
  who 
  have 
  not 
  

   given 
  much 
  thought 
  to 
  the 
  subject 
  will 
  ridicule 
  the 
  statement 
  

   that 
  there 
  is 
  any 
  need 
  for 
  measures 
  to 
  prevent 
  their 
  extermina- 
  

   tion 
  or 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  beds. 
  While 
  the 
  con- 
  

   sumption 
  of 
  oysters 
  was 
  restricted 
  to 
  regions 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  

   vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  beds, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  oysters 
  which 
  it 
  would 
  

   pay 
  to 
  gather 
  and 
  put 
  into 
  the 
  market 
  each 
  season 
  from 
  each 
  

   bed 
  was 
  limited 
  ; 
  but 
  with 
  the 
  present 
  facilities 
  for 
  packing 
  

   and 
  transporting 
  oysters, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  limit 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  which 
  

   can 
  be 
  utilized, 
  and 
  the 
  danger 
  of 
  destroying 
  the 
  best 
  beds 
  

   grows 
  greater 
  every 
  day, 
  and 
  keeps 
  pace 
  with 
  the 
  increasing 
  

   population 
  and 
  improvements 
  in 
  transportation. 
  

  

  Those 
  who 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  the 
  supply 
  up 
  to 
  

   the 
  present 
  time 
  is 
  sufficient 
  proof 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  continue, 
  will 
  

   do 
  well 
  to 
  reflect 
  upon 
  the 
  facts 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  table,, 
  

   which 
  I 
  have 
  condensed 
  from 
  a 
  recent 
  book 
  on 
  the 
  oyster, 
  by 
  

   Mo 
  bins 
  (Die 
  Austern 
  und 
  die 
  Austernwirtschaft, 
  Mobius, 
  

   Berlin, 
  1877, 
  page 
  67.) 
  He 
  gives 
  a 
  long 
  table, 
  showing 
  

   the 
  number 
  of 
  03'sters 
  taken 
  yearly 
  from 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Cancale, 
  

   on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Norway, 
  for 
  about 
  one 
  hundred 
  years, 
  and 
  I 
  

   have 
  copied 
  enough 
  from 
  it 
  to 
  show 
  its 
  character 
  : 
  

  

  