﻿36 
  

  

  greatly 
  and 
  rapidly 
  enlai'ges, 
  and 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  is 
  consid- 
  

   ered 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  good 
  condition, 
  or 
  "fat," 
  as 
  the 
  fishermen 
  

   say. 
  This 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  l^ody 
  or 
  visceral 
  

   mass 
  is 
  entirely 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  rapid 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  generative 
  

   organs 
  and 
  the 
  ripening 
  of 
  the 
  products 
  in 
  them. 
  The 
  

   process 
  of 
  coming 
  into 
  condition 
  is, 
  then, 
  just 
  the 
  reverse 
  

   of 
  what 
  occurs 
  in 
  the 
  oyster. 
  The 
  sexes 
  are 
  distinct, 
  since 
  

   I 
  never 
  found 
  anything 
  except 
  ova 
  in 
  the 
  females, 
  or 
  sper- 
  

   matozoa 
  in 
  the 
  males. 
  The 
  liead 
  of 
  the 
  spermatozoan 
  

   differs 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  in 
  l)eing 
  elongated. 
  The 
  

   number 
  of 
  ova 
  set 
  free 
  by 
  an 
  adult 
  female, 
  judging 
  from 
  

   the 
  relatively 
  enormous 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  ovaries, 
  must 
  be 
  

   very 
  great, 
  and 
  since 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  of 
  exactly 
  the 
  same 
  size 
  

   as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  oyster. 
  l-5()0tli 
  inch, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  im- 
  

   probable 
  that 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  100, 
  000, 
  ()0(» 
  ma- 
  

   tured. 
  I 
  succeeded 
  in 
  impregnating 
  tlie 
  eggs 
  artificially 
  

   on 
  the 
  18th 
  of 
  September 
  last, 
  and 
  watched 
  their 
  devel- 
  

   opment 
  until 
  the 
  gasti'iila 
  stagf 
  had 
  been 
  readied, 
  when 
  

   my 
  observations 
  cauie 
  abi-u[>tly 
  to 
  an 
  end. 
  

  

  The 
  importance 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  this 
  delicious 
  mollusk 
  

   is 
  hardly 
  appreciated 
  on 
  the 
  Southern 
  coast 
  as 
  it 
  should 
  

   be, 
  and 
  it 
  ai)])ears 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  artiti<'ial 
  culture 
  of 
  it 
  

   should 
  be 
  almost 
  as 
  much 
  of 
  an 
  objecl 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  oys- 
  

   ter, 
  with 
  wliich 
  it 
  will 
  comj^are 
  very 
  favorably 
  when 
  

   properly 
  served 
  at 
  table. 
  

  

  The 
  mussels 
  inhabiting 
  St. 
  Jerome's 
  Creek 
  appeared 
  

   to 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  genus 
  Modiolaria 
  ; 
  no 
  true 
  Myfihis 
  

   being 
  noticed. 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  Gasteropods 
  were 
  noticed, 
  consisting 
  of 
  three 
  

   species 
  of 
  nudibranchiates 
  — 
  (without 
  shells,) 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  

   very 
  small 
  univalves, 
  the 
  only 
  larger 
  univalve 
  was 
  Lit- 
  

   torina 
  irrnrata, 
  which 
  was 
  very 
  common, 
  sticking 
  hj 
  

   means 
  of 
  the 
  foot 
  to 
  the 
  stems 
  of 
  the 
  tall 
  grass 
  fringing 
  

   the 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  creeks. 
  No 
  species 
  of 
  boring 
  mollusk 
  

   was 
  noticed 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  St. 
  Jerome's, 
  so 
  that 
  oyster- 
  

   culture 
  may 
  ])r()bably 
  l)e 
  conducted 
  there 
  without 
  harm 
  

   from 
  the 
  Uroi^alpmx^ 
  or 
  "drill" 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  called. 
  There 
  

  

  