﻿was 
  already 
  nearly 
  half 
  over 
  when 
  onr 
  work 
  began, 
  and 
  

   to 
  this, 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  to 
  anything, 
  the 
  comparative 
  unsatis- 
  

   faotoriness 
  of 
  our 
  results 
  must 
  be 
  attributed. 
  AVhile 
  we 
  

   are 
  forced 
  to 
  admit 
  so 
  much, 
  a 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  valuable 
  

   information 
  has 
  been 
  gathered, 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  

   entirely 
  new 
  to 
  science 
  and 
  very 
  suggestive 
  as 
  to 
  what 
  

   will 
  be 
  the 
  proper 
  paths 
  to 
  follow 
  hereafter 
  in 
  the 
  con- 
  

   duct 
  of 
  the 
  work. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  devoted 
  a 
  considerable 
  amount 
  of 
  space 
  to 
  an 
  

   account 
  of 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  oyster, 
  with 
  illustrations, 
  

   so 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  easier 
  for 
  the 
  anatomy 
  and 
  physiology 
  

   of 
  the 
  animal 
  to 
  be 
  understood 
  by 
  persons 
  not 
  familiar 
  

   or 
  within 
  reach 
  of 
  the 
  treatises; 
  on 
  the 
  subject. 
  The 
  idea 
  

   has 
  not 
  been, 
  to 
  tacitly 
  imply 
  that 
  the 
  account 
  given 
  by 
  

   Prof. 
  Brooks 
  in 
  last 
  year's 
  report 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  good 
  one, 
  

   but 
  simply 
  to 
  illustrate 
  pictorially, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  lay 
  in 
  my 
  

   power, 
  the 
  grosser 
  anatomy 
  of 
  the 
  creature, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  ena- 
  

   ble 
  a 
  novice 
  to 
  lind 
  the 
  ovaries 
  and 
  spermaries 
  of 
  the 
  

   animals 
  more 
  readily 
  if 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  desired 
  to 
  impreg- 
  

   nate 
  the 
  eggs 
  artificially, 
  either 
  for 
  the 
  sake 
  of 
  experi- 
  

   ment 
  or 
  artiiicial 
  culture. 
  

  

  The 
  numerous 
  suggestions 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  text 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  

   banks 
  and 
  the 
  possible 
  practicability 
  of 
  entirely 
  new 
  

   plans 
  of 
  culture 
  will, 
  I 
  hope, 
  be 
  found 
  of 
  value. 
  The 
  

   matters 
  of 
  mere 
  scientific 
  record 
  and 
  observation 
  are 
  such 
  

   as 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  noted 
  by 
  any 
  observer, 
  endowed 
  with 
  

   a 
  fair 
  share 
  of 
  common 
  sense 
  and 
  having 
  a 
  naturalist's 
  

   training. 
  

  

  The 
  appended 
  observations 
  on 
  the 
  artificial 
  impregna- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  European 
  oyster 
  made 
  by 
  Francis 
  Winslow, 
  

   U. 
  S, 
  N., 
  are 
  important, 
  as 
  showing 
  how 
  closely 
  parallel 
  

   the 
  phenomena 
  of 
  development 
  in 
  this 
  sjiecies 
  are 
  to 
  

   those 
  of 
  our 
  own. 
  I 
  place 
  entire 
  confidence 
  in 
  these 
  ob- 
  

   servations, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  fully 
  supported 
  by 
  what 
  was 
  pre- 
  

   viously 
  known 
  of 
  their 
  development 
  through 
  the 
  research- 
  

  

  