﻿29 
  

  

  tive 
  reseniblaiK 
  e 
  in 
  shape 
  to 
  the 
  tongue 
  of 
  a 
  cat.* 
  Dr. 
  

   C. 
  A. 
  White 
  informs 
  me 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  noticed 
  oysters 
  in 
  

   the 
  fossil 
  state, 
  which 
  occupied 
  a 
  vertical 
  position 
  in 
  a 
  

   sandy 
  matrix, 
  a 
  fact 
  which 
  shows 
  that 
  the 
  habit 
  so 
  

   strongly 
  marked 
  in 
  modern 
  banks 
  must 
  be 
  a 
  very 
  ancient 
  

   one. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  observant 
  writers 
  upon 
  the 
  oyster 
  agree 
  that 
  it 
  

   is 
  essential 
  that 
  the 
  bott(mi 
  upon 
  which 
  oyster 
  banks 
  are 
  

   to 
  be 
  permanent 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  liable 
  to 
  shift 
  or 
  be 
  cov- 
  

   ered 
  by 
  mud 
  or 
  sediment 
  carried 
  to 
  the 
  beds 
  by 
  the 
  tide 
  

   waters. 
  The 
  comparatively 
  meagre 
  experience 
  which 
  

   the 
  writer 
  has 
  had 
  has 
  strongly 
  enforced 
  such 
  a 
  conclu- 
  

   sion. 
  The 
  permanent 
  banks, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  number 
  

   of 
  dead 
  shells 
  scattered 
  through 
  the 
  bottom 
  soil 
  upon 
  

   which 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  established, 
  acquire 
  a 
  peculiar 
  

   solidity 
  or 
  fixedness 
  which 
  the 
  currents 
  of 
  tide 
  water 
  

   cannot 
  sensibly 
  affect. 
  When 
  once 
  these 
  banks 
  are 
  

   covered 
  by 
  the 
  clusters 
  of 
  oysters 
  more 
  or 
  less, 
  securely 
  

   held 
  together 
  by 
  the 
  lower 
  portions 
  being 
  imbedded 
  in 
  

   the 
  soil 
  below, 
  and 
  mutually 
  wedged 
  together 
  by 
  the 
  

   many 
  surfaces 
  of 
  contiguous 
  clusters 
  becoming 
  neatly 
  

   adapted 
  to 
  each 
  other 
  by 
  pressure, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  hard 
  mat- 
  

   ter 
  for 
  the 
  tides 
  to 
  smother 
  the 
  bank 
  unless 
  sufficient 
  

   soil 
  in 
  suspension 
  is 
  carried 
  by 
  the 
  waters 
  to 
  completely 
  

   cover 
  the 
  animals. 
  The 
  inferences 
  to 
  be 
  drawn 
  from 
  the 
  

   foregoing 
  studies 
  are 
  very 
  important. 
  They 
  lead 
  nat- 
  

   urally 
  to 
  the 
  inquiry 
  whether 
  artificial 
  oyster 
  beds 
  can- 
  

   not 
  at 
  least 
  be 
  established 
  in 
  shallow^ 
  water, 
  where 
  the 
  

   difficulties 
  in 
  altering 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  so 
  as 
  

   to 
  adapt 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  wants 
  of 
  the 
  oyster, 
  are 
  not 
  practically 
  

   insurmountable. 
  I 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  

   artificial 
  beds 
  in 
  a 
  moderately 
  rapid 
  tide 
  way 
  is 
  possible. 
  

   The 
  localities, 
  I 
  apprehend, 
  are 
  abundant 
  along 
  both 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  and 
  western 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  Chesapeake, 
  and 
  I 
  

  

  *The 
  crowded 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  banks 
  may 
  be 
  inferred 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  40 
  oysters 
  

   were 
  counted 
  by 
  me 
  in 
  a'l 
  area 
  included 
  in 
  a 
  quadrangle 
  of 
  wire 
  including 
  exactly 
  one 
  square 
  

   foot 
  ; 
  30 
  individuals 
  to 
  the 
  square 
  foot 
  was 
  a 
  fair 
  average 
  on 
  the 
  bank 
  examined. 
  Where 
  the 
  

   "cat's-torigues" 
  are 
  developed, 
  a 
  much 
  more 
  crowded 
  condition 
  probably 
  prevails. 
  

  

  