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  the 
  nearest 
  one 
  being 
  Parker's 
  Rock, 
  which 
  is 
  over 
  three 
  miles 
  

   distant 
  ; 
  the 
  oysters 
  on 
  the 
  Muddy 
  Marsh 
  bed 
  were 
  very 
  few 
  

   and 
  the 
  mass 
  of 
  shells 
  immense, 
  affording 
  ample 
  surface 
  for 
  

   the 
  attachment 
  of 
  the 
  drifting 
  " 
  spat," 
  should 
  there 
  be 
  any. 
  

   But 
  supposing 
  the 
  oysters 
  on 
  the 
  beds 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  so 
  much 
  di- 
  

   minished 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  suflicient 
  for 
  mutual 
  fecundation, 
  

   the 
  distance 
  and 
  situation 
  of 
  other 
  beds 
  is 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  prevent 
  

   the 
  current 
  from 
  bringing 
  the 
  spermatozoa 
  voided 
  upon 
  them 
  

   to 
  the 
  Muddy 
  Marsh 
  Rocks 
  and 
  there 
  would 
  be, 
  as 
  was 
  noticed, 
  

   an 
  almost 
  entire 
  failure 
  of 
  young. 
  In 
  the 
  same, 
  though 
  less 
  

   degree, 
  would 
  the 
  other 
  beds 
  suffer, 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  spawn 
  

   voided 
  depending 
  not 
  only 
  upon 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  mature 
  

   "brood" 
  oysters, 
  but 
  upon 
  their 
  distance 
  from 
  each 
  other 
  and 
  

   the 
  spaces 
  separating 
  the 
  beds. 
  This 
  theory 
  is 
  supported 
  by 
  

   the 
  investigations 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  England, 
  France 
  

   and 
  Prussia, 
  and 
  almost 
  all 
  opinions 
  coincide 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  

   of 
  young 
  in 
  any 
  spatting 
  season 
  is 
  dependent 
  upon 
  the 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  " 
  brood 
  " 
  oysters 
  upon 
  the 
  beds. 
  Indeed, 
  it 
  seems 
  so 
  

   self-evident 
  a 
  proposition 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  hardly 
  worth 
  while 
  to 
  exper- 
  

   imentally 
  establish 
  it. 
  It 
  is 
  necessary, 
  then, 
  having 
  accepted 
  

   the 
  theory, 
  to 
  determine 
  what 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  should 
  

   be 
  taken 
  off' 
  the 
  beds, 
  and 
  what 
  proportion 
  is 
  actually 
  removed. 
  

   As 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  data 
  to 
  my 
  knowledge 
  derived 
  from 
  observa- 
  

   tions 
  made 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  

   desired 
  points, 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  turn 
  to 
  the 
  experience 
  of 
  

   foreign 
  oyster 
  fisheries 
  for 
  guidance, 
  and 
  though 
  the 
  animals 
  

   and 
  the 
  conditions 
  under 
  which 
  they 
  live 
  are 
  not 
  entirely 
  sim- 
  

   ilar, 
  yet 
  some 
  information 
  may 
  be 
  obtained 
  and 
  a 
  line 
  of 
  inves- 
  

   tigation 
  marked 
  out 
  for 
  the 
  future. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  is 
  a 
  synopsis 
  of 
  the 
  deductions 
  of 
  Professor 
  

   Karl 
  Mobius, 
  Professor 
  of 
  Zoology 
  in 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  Kiel, 
  

   whose 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  oyster 
  in 
  manuscript 
  was 
  kindly 
  lent 
  me 
  by 
  

   Professor 
  Baird. 
  The 
  observations 
  were 
  made 
  over 
  the 
  Schles- 
  

   wig 
  Holstein 
  oyster 
  beds 
  by 
  government 
  officials 
  from 
  1730 
  

   to 
  1852, 
  and 
  were 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  practically 
  the 
  following 
  man- 
  

   ner. 
  Each 
  bed 
  was 
  dredged 
  over 
  in 
  three. 
  or 
  six 
  places, 
  ac- 
  

   cording 
  to 
  its 
  size, 
  and 
  the 
  oysters 
  taken 
  were 
  divided 
  into 
  

   three 
  classes, 
  and 
  carefully 
  counted. 
  The 
  classes 
  were 
  denom- 
  

  

  