﻿11(5 
  

  

  wliere 
  in 
  the 
  Sound. 
  Those 
  beds 
  lying 
  in 
  deep 
  water 
  are 
  par- 
  

   ticularly 
  free 
  from 
  an 
  nndue 
  proportion 
  of 
  mud 
  on 
  the 
  bot- 
  

   tom, 
  the 
  shoalest 
  beds 
  having 
  the 
  thickest 
  mud 
  covering. 
  

  

  If 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  constant 
  and 
  increasing 
  deposit 
  upon 
  the 
  

   beds 
  they 
  would 
  long 
  ago 
  have 
  disappeared, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  have 
  

   become 
  of 
  much 
  smaller 
  area, 
  but 
  the 
  reverse 
  is 
  the 
  case, 
  the 
  

   beds 
  increasing 
  in 
  area 
  constantly. 
  

  

  They 
  are, 
  however, 
  exposed 
  to 
  one 
  species 
  of 
  deposit 
  which 
  

   is 
  very 
  injurious. 
  Heavy 
  gales 
  occurring 
  in 
  w-inter 
  and 
  sum- 
  

   mer 
  frequently 
  tear 
  up 
  the 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  grass, 
  sea- 
  

   weed 
  and 
  sponge 
  on 
  the 
  sand 
  shoals 
  about 
  the 
  Sound 
  and 
  de- 
  

   posit 
  it 
  upon 
  the 
  beds. 
  If 
  this 
  occurs 
  in 
  summer, 
  when 
  there 
  

   are 
  a 
  smaller 
  number 
  of 
  dredgers 
  at 
  work, 
  the 
  effect 
  is 
  very 
  

   injurious, 
  the 
  " 
  cultch 
  " 
  being 
  covered, 
  and 
  the 
  young, 
  if 
  

   spawned, 
  smoothered 
  by 
  the 
  grass, 
  weeds, 
  sand 
  and 
  mud 
  which 
  

   it 
  collects. 
  The 
  California 
  Rock, 
  Piney 
  Island 
  Bar 
  and 
  Mano- 
  

   kin 
  beds 
  are 
  those 
  most 
  subject 
  to 
  this 
  evil. 
  

  

  The 
  gales 
  also 
  have 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  covering 
  the 
  scattered 
  oys- 
  

   ters 
  on 
  the 
  leeward 
  sands, 
  which 
  process 
  is 
  called 
  " 
  sanding," 
  

   and, 
  from 
  what 
  I 
  could 
  learn, 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  very 
  injurious 
  

   one. 
  The 
  oysters 
  are 
  buried, 
  and 
  tlie 
  bottom 
  becomes 
  smooth 
  

   and 
  hard. 
  Where 
  at 
  least 
  thirty 
  bushels 
  of 
  oysters 
  could 
  be 
  

   taken 
  previous 
  to 
  a 
  gale, 
  not 
  one 
  oyster 
  could 
  be 
  found 
  subse- 
  

   quent 
  to 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  winter 
  gales 
  have 
  the 
  greatest 
  effect, 
  owing 
  probably 
  

   to 
  their 
  greater 
  severity 
  and 
  direction, 
  which 
  is 
  from 
  the 
  

   northward 
  and 
  w^estward. 
  The 
  " 
  sand 
  " 
  oysters 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  

   largest 
  numbers 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  Sound, 
  and 
  about 
  

   Kedge's 
  and 
  Hooper's 
  Straits, 
  consequently 
  they 
  would 
  feel 
  a 
  

   northwesterly 
  gale 
  much 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  from 
  the 
  opposite 
  di- 
  

   rection. 
  

  

  They 
  are 
  said 
  not 
  to 
  recover 
  from 
  the 
  "sanding" 
  for 
  several 
  

   months, 
  and 
  upon 
  their 
  reappearance, 
  are 
  noticeable 
  on 
  ac- 
  

   count 
  of 
  the 
  whiteness 
  of 
  their 
  shells. 
  

  

  Though 
  there 
  were 
  several 
  very 
  heavy 
  blows 
  while 
  we 
  were 
  

   in 
  the 
  Sound, 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  of 
  sufficient 
  severity 
  to 
  produce 
  

   the 
  effect 
  spoken 
  of, 
  and 
  if 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  I 
  should 
  not 
  have 
  

   been 
  able 
  to 
  detect 
  it, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  shallowness 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  