﻿26 
  

  

  NATIKAL 
  BANKS. 
  

  

  During 
  my 
  stay 
  at 
  St. 
  Jerome's 
  creek, 
  I 
  examined 
  the 
  

   natural 
  oyster 
  banks 
  wliicli 
  were 
  readily 
  accessible 
  in 
  

   shallow 
  water, 
  with 
  gratifying 
  results 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  

   the 
  animal 
  under 
  virtually 
  undisturbed 
  conditions.— 
  

   These 
  banks, 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  Europe, 
  always 
  ajjpear 
  to 
  be 
  

   much 
  longer 
  than 
  wide, 
  but 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  almost 
  

   entirely 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  air 
  during 
  low 
  tide, 
  a 
  rare 
  occur- 
  

   rence, 
  according 
  to 
  Mobius, 
  with 
  the 
  banks 
  on 
  the 
  Schles- 
  

   wig-Holstein 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Sea. 
  I 
  learned 
  from 
  the 
  

   owners 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  banks 
  that, 
  altliougli 
  a 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  proi)ortion 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  on 
  them 
  wei-e 
  at 
  times 
  

   frozen 
  to 
  death 
  during 
  the 
  severe 
  winters, 
  that 
  the 
  fecun- 
  

   dity 
  of 
  those 
  which 
  remained 
  was 
  such, 
  combined 
  with 
  

   the 
  naturally 
  favorable 
  conditions 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  

   for 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  old 
  and 
  young, 
  as 
  to 
  restore 
  the 
  beds 
  

   to 
  their 
  w(mted 
  productiveness 
  in 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  seasons. 
  

   Whether 
  this 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  fecundity 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  

   found 
  in 
  shallow 
  water 
  is 
  overdrawn 
  or 
  not 
  matters 
  little, 
  

   since 
  theie 
  was 
  the 
  plainest 
  evidence 
  that 
  we 
  had 
  here 
  

   before 
  our 
  eyes 
  the 
  best 
  natural 
  conditions 
  for 
  the 
  propa- 
  

   gation 
  and 
  feeding 
  of 
  the 
  individuals. 
  'I'hese 
  beds 
  are, 
  

   in 
  a 
  word, 
  natui'al 
  spat 
  collecting 
  gi'ounds; 
  places 
  where 
  

   such 
  conditions 
  obtain 
  as 
  will 
  allow 
  a 
  large 
  proi)ortion 
  of 
  

   the 
  swarming 
  l)]-ood 
  of 
  the 
  si)awning 
  season 
  to 
  affix 
  itself 
  

   securely 
  and 
  survive 
  in 
  positions 
  wheiv 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  

   food 
  may 
  be 
  got. 
  The 
  tide 
  ebbing 
  and 
  flowing 
  over 
  the 
  

   beds 
  not 
  (mly 
  carries 
  with 
  it 
  in 
  suspension 
  the 
  microsco- 
  

   pic 
  food 
  best 
  adapted 
  for 
  the 
  nourishment 
  of 
  the 
  oysters, 
  

   but 
  also 
  tends, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  peculiar 
  ai-rangement 
  of 
  the 
  

   shells 
  on 
  the 
  banks, 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  

   clean, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  well 
  adapted 
  as 
  favorable 
  points 
  of 
  at- 
  

   tachment 
  for 
  the 
  young. 
  

  

  The 
  oysters 
  assume 
  an 
  approximately 
  vertical 
  jiosition, 
  

   as 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  cross-section 
  Fig. 
  3, 
  of 
  a 
  bank 
  in 
  St. 
  

   Jerome's 
  Creek 
  owned 
  by 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  W. 
  AVrightson. 
  The 
  

   assumpti(m 
  of 
  this 
  position 
  seems 
  perfectly 
  natural; 
  

  

  