﻿CVIIT 
  

  

  •'In 
  view 
  of 
  such 
  facts, 
  no 
  one 
  who 
  ai)pi'eciates 
  the 
  

   •'magnitude 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  industry 
  of 
  the 
  Chesapeake 
  

   "can 
  doubt 
  that 
  the 
  protection 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  oyster 
  

   " 
  beds 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  which 
  is 
  worthy 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  careful 
  

   "attention. 
  AYliile 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  this 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  

   " 
  accomplished 
  is 
  outside 
  the 
  scope 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  paper, 
  

   " 
  a 
  statement 
  of 
  those 
  favorable 
  and 
  unfavorable 
  inilu- 
  

   " 
  ences 
  Avliich 
  have 
  suggested 
  themselves 
  to 
  me 
  during 
  

   " 
  my 
  work, 
  may 
  fairly 
  find 
  a 
  place 
  here. 
  

  

  "It 
  is 
  well 
  know^n 
  to 
  naturalists 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   "individuals 
  which 
  reach 
  maturity 
  in 
  any 
  species 
  of 
  

   " 
  animals 
  or 
  plants 
  does 
  not 
  depend 
  upon 
  the 
  number 
  

   " 
  which 
  are 
  born. 
  The 
  common 
  tape- 
  worm 
  lays 
  hun- 
  

   " 
  dreds 
  of 
  millions 
  of 
  eggs 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  short 
  time, 
  yet 
  it 
  is 
  

   " 
  comparatively 
  rare. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  children 
  born 
  to 
  

   " 
  each 
  pair 
  of 
  human 
  beings 
  during 
  their 
  lifetime 
  of 
  from 
  

   " 
  fifty 
  to 
  eighty 
  years, 
  can 
  be 
  counted 
  on 
  the 
  lingers, 
  yet 
  

   " 
  man 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  mammals, 
  and 
  

   " 
  human 
  population 
  increases 
  quite 
  rapidly 
  under 
  favor- 
  

   " 
  al)le 
  circumstances. 
  This 
  comparison 
  shows 
  plainly 
  

   " 
  that 
  tlie 
  abundance 
  of 
  a 
  sjjecies 
  is 
  determined, 
  mainly, 
  

   " 
  l)y 
  the 
  external 
  conditions 
  to 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  exposed, 
  and 
  

   " 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  individuals 
  which 
  are 
  born 
  has 
  

   " 
  very 
  little 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  it. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  oyster, 
  the 
  

   " 
  adult 
  is 
  well 
  protected 
  against 
  enemies 
  by 
  the 
  shell, 
  

   " 
  and 
  as 
  its 
  food 
  is 
  abundant, 
  and 
  is 
  brought 
  to 
  it 
  by 
  

   " 
  the 
  water, 
  it 
  is 
  tolerably 
  sure 
  of 
  a 
  long 
  life 
  after 
  it 
  has 
  

   "reached 
  its 
  adult 
  form, 
  but 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  is 
  

   " 
  very 
  i^recarious 
  ; 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  American 
  oyster 
  

   " 
  peculiarly 
  so, 
  since 
  it 
  is 
  exposed 
  to 
  all 
  kinds 
  of 
  ene- 
  

   " 
  mies 
  and 
  accidents, 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  most 
  helpless. 
  

   " 
  The 
  protection 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  European 
  oyster 
  by 
  the 
  

   " 
  parent 
  shell 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  more 
  than 
  bal- 
  

   " 
  ance 
  the 
  greater 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  laid 
  by 
  the 
  American. 
  

   " 
  The 
  most 
  critical 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  

   " 
  oyster 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  egg 
  is 
  dis- 
  

   " 
  charged 
  into 
  the 
  water 
  to 
  be 
  fertilized, 
  for 
  the 
  cliance 
  

  

  