﻿198 
  

  

  previous 
  season, 
  and 
  though 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  found 
  in 
  as 
  larere 
  

   numbers 
  as 
  the 
  asti/ris, 
  yet 
  their 
  presence 
  inclined 
  me 
  to 
  ques- 
  

   tion 
  the 
  conchisions 
  arrived 
  at 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1878. 
  

  

  I 
  accordingly 
  collected 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  astyris 
  and 
  

   placed 
  them 
  in 
  an 
  aquarium 
  jar 
  with 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  young 
  oys- 
  

   ters, 
  changing 
  the 
  water 
  constantly 
  and 
  inspecting 
  the 
  ani- 
  

   mals 
  frequently. 
  

  

  These 
  observations 
  were 
  continued 
  for 
  over 
  a 
  week, 
  and 
  at 
  

   the 
  end 
  of 
  that 
  time 
  both 
  oysters 
  and 
  astyris 
  were 
  alive, 
  but 
  

   there 
  w^as 
  no 
  evidence 
  of 
  any 
  boring, 
  nor 
  did 
  any 
  inspection 
  

   show 
  an 
  inclination 
  in 
  that 
  direction 
  upon 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  as- 
  

   tyris 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  they 
  soon 
  left 
  the 
  shells 
  and 
  went 
  to 
  

   the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  jar. 
  

  

  I 
  then 
  collected 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  urosal-pinx 
  cinerens 
  and 
  sub- 
  

   jected 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  test. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  four 
  days 
  one 
  oyster 
  had 
  been 
  bored 
  and 
  one 
  

   welk 
  was 
  found 
  at 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  shell 
  of 
  another. 
  

  

  The 
  rough 
  welk 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  do 
  great 
  injury 
  to 
  the 
  oyster 
  

   in 
  Long 
  Island 
  Sound, 
  and 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  

   alluded 
  to 
  in 
  my 
  previous 
  report, 
  as 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  drills, 
  may 
  be 
  

   etFected 
  bj 
  this 
  animal. 
  

  

  That 
  large 
  numbers 
  are 
  destroyed 
  by 
  the 
  welks 
  cannot 
  bo 
  

   doubted, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  astyris 
  may 
  also 
  assist 
  in 
  

   this 
  destruction. 
  

  

  A 
  more 
  extended 
  investigation 
  of 
  this 
  question 
  than 
  I 
  was 
  

   enabled 
  to 
  make 
  is 
  desirable. 
  

  

  An 
  analysis 
  of 
  several 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  Sound 
  

   and 
  of 
  the 
  Bay, 
  made 
  by 
  Prof 
  C. 
  E. 
  Monroe, 
  of 
  the 
  Naval 
  

   Academy, 
  is 
  appended 
  to 
  this 
  report, 
  for 
  use 
  in 
  comparing 
  the 
  

   localities 
  investigated 
  with 
  others 
  whose 
  investigation 
  may 
  be 
  

   subsequently 
  attempted. 
  

  

  The 
  specimens 
  have 
  been 
  srlc-red 
  from 
  those 
  taken 
  in 
  dif- 
  

   ferent 
  stages 
  of 
  the 
  tide 
  an<l 
  from 
  different 
  sections. 
  

  

  The 
  (Milv 
  noticeable 
  chaiiu'c 
  on 
  the 
  beds 
  this 
  season 
  was 
  that 
  

   the 
  amount 
  of 
  red 
  sponge 
  sqipearcd 
  to 
  be 
  much 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  

   1878. 
  In 
  other 
  respects 
  they 
  are, 
  to 
  outward 
  appearances, 
  in 
  

   a 
  similar 
  state, 
  though 
  the 
  dredgers 
  report 
  tliem 
  as 
  much 
  

   broken 
  up, 
  with 
  an 
  increased 
  amount 
  of 
  debris. 
  

  

  