﻿206 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  conclusions 
  at 
  which 
  I 
  arrived 
  in 
  1878, 
  and 
  which 
  are 
  

   contained 
  in 
  my 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  that 
  season, 
  aro 
  

   erroneous. 
  Some 
  of 
  them 
  have 
  been 
  already 
  alluded 
  to, 
  and 
  

   the 
  allusions 
  to 
  the 
  remaining 
  ones 
  here 
  find 
  their 
  most 
  ap- 
  

   propriate 
  place. 
  

  

  I 
  find 
  that 
  my 
  supposition 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  or 
  was 
  a 
  general 
  

   spatting 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  any 
  season 
  to 
  be, 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  extent, 
  

   incorrect. 
  The 
  spatting 
  may 
  be 
  general, 
  and 
  a 
  majority 
  of 
  

   the 
  oysters 
  may 
  spawn 
  each 
  year, 
  but 
  the 
  attachment 
  of 
  the 
  

   young 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  difl:erent 
  thing, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  most 
  precarious 
  

   period 
  in 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  is 
  that 
  just 
  anterior 
  to 
  its 
  at- 
  

   tachment, 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  causes 
  detrimental 
  to 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  em- 
  

   bryo, 
  while 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  its 
  free 
  swimming 
  state 
  may 
  readily 
  occur, 
  

   and 
  thus 
  prevent 
  such 
  attachment. 
  

  

  My 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  season 
  has 
  proved 
  conclusively 
  

   that 
  the 
  class 
  of 
  oysters 
  termed 
  "young 
  growth" 
  in 
  my 
  pre- 
  

   vious 
  report 
  were 
  not 
  of 
  the 
  brood 
  of 
  1878 
  but 
  of 
  1877 
  or 
  1876. 
  

   The 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  found 
  in 
  both 
  seasons, 
  the 
  deter- 
  

   mination 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  earliest 
  attachment, 
  and 
  the 
  growth 
  

   and 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  on 
  the 
  tiles, 
  have 
  led 
  me 
  to 
  this 
  

   ■ 
  conclusion. 
  As 
  the 
  young 
  do 
  not 
  attach 
  before 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  

   August, 
  they 
  could 
  hardly 
  reach 
  such 
  a 
  size 
  and 
  shape 
  by 
  Oc- 
  

   tober 
  as 
  would 
  prevent 
  their 
  recognition 
  as 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  season's 
  

   growth. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  inspection 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  taken 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  

   season, 
  many 
  being 
  found 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  stated 
  with 
  the 
  generative 
  

   matter 
  unexpelled, 
  I 
  am 
  of 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  a 
  combination 
  of 
  

   natural 
  causes 
  may 
  prevent 
  the 
  expulsion 
  of 
  both 
  the 
  male 
  

   and 
  female 
  cells, 
  and 
  there 
  would 
  consequently 
  be 
  no 
  impreg- 
  

   nation 
  during 
  that 
  season. 
  

  

  As 
  I 
  mention 
  in 
  report 
  of 
  1878, 
  many 
  persons 
  of 
  experience 
  

   are 
  of 
  that 
  opinion, 
  and 
  I 
  now 
  concur 
  with 
  them 
  in 
  thinking 
  

   that 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  attachment 
  of 
  young 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  general 
  

   nor 
  occur 
  each 
  year, 
  but 
  that 
  the 
  emission 
  of 
  the 
  products 
  of 
  

   generation 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  frequently 
  confined 
  to 
  partial 
  areas, 
  

   and 
  that 
  by 
  a 
  combination 
  of 
  circumstances 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  a 
  

   total 
  failure 
  of 
  impregnation 
  on 
  all 
  beds 
  of 
  any 
  locality. 
  

  

  I 
  also 
  find 
  by 
  additional 
  experience 
  that 
  the 
  young 
  oyster 
  is 
  

  

  