﻿33 
  

  

  on 
  the 
  Chesapeake, 
  ) 
  were 
  also 
  noticed, 
  of 
  two 
  species, 
  

   belonging 
  to 
  the 
  genera 
  CJdloniycterus 
  and 
  Chilichthys. 
  

   Though 
  the 
  Bat 
  rack 
  its 
  is 
  also 
  called 
  the 
  Dyster-fish, 
  ])ut 
  

   in 
  o2)ening 
  a 
  nauiber 
  to 
  examine 
  the 
  contents 
  of 
  their 
  

   stomachs 
  I 
  found 
  no 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  oysters, 
  

   nor 
  does 
  the 
  conformation 
  of 
  the 
  mouth 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  

   fish 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  destroying 
  oysters 
  for 
  food. 
  The 
  

   teeth 
  of 
  the 
  puffers 
  look 
  as 
  if 
  they 
  might 
  l)e 
  much 
  better 
  

   adapted 
  to 
  crush 
  the 
  shells 
  of 
  live 
  oysters, 
  especially 
  

   those 
  not 
  over 
  a 
  year 
  old. 
  In 
  the 
  Museum 
  of 
  the 
  Acad- 
  

   emy 
  of 
  Natural 
  Sciences 
  of 
  Philadelphia 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  speci- 
  

   men 
  of 
  a 
  blenny 
  3i 
  inches 
  in 
  length, 
  which 
  was 
  taken 
  

   from 
  an 
  oyster 
  4? 
  inches 
  long 
  by 
  Mr. 
  (J. 
  W. 
  Hyatt. 
  On 
  

   the 
  inner 
  face 
  of 
  both 
  valves 
  the 
  fish, 
  which 
  is 
  apparent- 
  

   ly 
  a 
  female, 
  has 
  laid 
  its 
  eggs, 
  wliich 
  are 
  adherent, 
  and 
  

   cover 
  nearly 
  half 
  the 
  inside 
  of 
  l)otli 
  valves. 
  Although 
  

   this 
  specimen 
  is 
  interesting 
  and 
  soiiiewhat 
  puzzling, 
  I 
  do 
  

   not 
  think 
  that 
  the 
  little 
  iisli 
  can 
  be 
  accused 
  of 
  destroying 
  

   the 
  oyster 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  comfortable 
  si)awui]ig 
  nest 
  

   for 
  itself. 
  It 
  seems 
  very 
  likely 
  that 
  the 
  animal 
  of 
  the 
  

   oyster 
  was 
  destroyed 
  in 
  some 
  other 
  way, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  

   blenny 
  finding 
  the 
  shell 
  abandoned 
  msule 
  it 
  the 
  reposi- 
  

   tory 
  for 
  its 
  eggs, 
  which 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  partially 
  em])edded 
  

   in 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  some 
  whitish 
  secretion. 
  

  

  Prof. 
  M()lnus 
  alludes 
  to 
  the 
  observation 
  of 
  Captain 
  

   Johnston, 
  who 
  says, 
  in 
  the 
  Re[)ort 
  on 
  the 
  Oyster 
  Fisher- 
  

   ies, 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  House 
  of 
  Commons, 
  187(5, 
  that 
  he 
  saw 
  

   small 
  fishes 
  of 
  the 
  genera 
  Oohius 
  and 
  Mulln.s 
  swallow 
  the 
  

   brood 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  as 
  the 
  latter 
  discharged 
  it 
  from 
  its 
  

   parted 
  valves, 
  and 
  that 
  he 
  afterwards 
  caught 
  and 
  opened 
  

   the 
  stomachs 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  and 
  found 
  the 
  fry 
  in 
  them. 
  

   Since 
  our 
  oyster 
  discharges 
  its 
  eggs 
  directly 
  into 
  the 
  

   water 
  before 
  development, 
  when 
  they 
  measure 
  only 
  one 
  

   five 
  hundredth 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter, 
  I 
  think 
  we 
  will 
  

   not 
  need 
  to 
  be 
  alarmed 
  al)out 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  embryos 
  

   by 
  small 
  fishes, 
  since 
  1 
  know 
  of 
  no 
  species 
  which 
  fre- 
  

   quents 
  the 
  oyster 
  beds 
  whose 
  gill-rakers 
  are 
  close 
  enough 
  

  

  