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  CONCLUSIONS. 
  

  

  The 
  foregoing 
  pages 
  with 
  the 
  record 
  and 
  charts, 
  contain 
  

   all 
  the 
  data 
  collected 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  for 
  the 
  studj 
  of 
  the 
  

   beds 
  and 
  the 
  conditions 
  affecting 
  tlie 
  animals 
  upon 
  them. 
  

  

  Not 
  regarding 
  it 
  as 
  within 
  my 
  province 
  and 
  not 
  possessing 
  

   sufficient 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  subject, 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  attempted 
  any 
  

   study 
  of 
  the 
  biology 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  but 
  have 
  confined 
  my 
  re- 
  

   port 
  to 
  as 
  concise 
  a 
  description 
  as 
  possible 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  and 
  con- 
  

   ditions 
  surrounding 
  the 
  various 
  forms 
  of 
  life 
  upon 
  them. 
  The 
  

   following 
  remarks 
  are 
  simply 
  the 
  conclusions 
  drawn 
  from 
  cer- 
  

   tain 
  peculiar 
  features 
  and 
  facts 
  established 
  by 
  the 
  investiga- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  testimony 
  and 
  an 
  attempt 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  them. 
  In 
  

   reviewing 
  the 
  remarks 
  upon 
  the 
  diflerent 
  beds, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  

   that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  marked 
  absence 
  of 
  oysters 
  classed 
  as 
  "young," 
  

   or 
  those 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  brood 
  on 
  all 
  beds 
  above 
  

   Kedge's 
  Straits 
  in 
  Tangier 
  Sound, 
  and 
  above 
  the 
  Bird 
  Eock 
  in 
  

   Pocomoke 
  Sound. 
  In 
  Tangier, 
  the 
  young 
  first 
  appeared 
  in 
  

   considerable 
  quantities 
  on 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  Muscle 
  Hole 
  Bed 
  

   and 
  Piney 
  Island 
  Bar. 
  There 
  were 
  none 
  in 
  either 
  the 
  Mano- 
  

   kin 
  or 
  Big 
  Annemessex 
  Rivers 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  

   Harris 
  Rock, 
  though 
  large 
  numbers 
  were 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  cen- 
  

   tral 
  and 
  southern 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  latter. 
  The 
  southern 
  beds 
  

   of 
  both 
  Sounds 
  were 
  plentifully 
  supplied. 
  Again, 
  on 
  the 
  

   southern 
  beds 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  like 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  class 
  termed 
  by 
  

   us 
  " 
  young 
  growth," 
  or 
  oysters 
  apparently 
  spawned 
  during 
  

   the 
  previous 
  season, 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  beds 
  of 
  both 
  Sounds 
  

   the 
  proportion 
  of 
  this 
  class 
  was 
  very 
  large. 
  Over 
  these 
  differ- 
  

   ent 
  beds 
  the 
  change 
  of 
  density 
  is 
  too 
  slight 
  to 
  enter 
  into 
  the 
  

   question 
  and 
  the 
  currents 
  too 
  nearly 
  similar, 
  both 
  in 
  direc- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  strength, 
  to 
  have 
  influenced 
  the 
  difierence 
  in 
  produc- 
  

   tion. 
  On 
  nearly 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  beds 
  in 
  both 
  Sounds, 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  is 
  muddy 
  or 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  close 
  proximity 
  to 
  muddy 
  

   bottoms. 
  To 
  the 
  southward, 
  however, 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  hard 
  

   and 
  the 
  beds 
  surrounded 
  by 
  sand 
  or 
  gravel, 
  except 
  on 
  the 
  edges 
  

   nearest 
  the 
  channels. 
  Again, 
  all 
  the 
  northern 
  beds 
  in 
  both 
  

   Sounds 
  are 
  in 
  comparatively 
  shoal 
  water 
  and 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  

   southern 
  parts 
  in 
  deep 
  water. 
  

  

  