﻿49 
  

  

  black 
  ooze, 
  tlie 
  very 
  tissues 
  seeming 
  to 
  be 
  impregnated 
  

   with 
  the 
  color, 
  the 
  stomach 
  and 
  intestine 
  headed 
  to 
  en- 
  

   gorgement 
  with 
  tlie 
  mud, 
  the 
  animal 
  manifesting 
  every 
  

   sign 
  of 
  being 
  in 
  a 
  decidedly 
  sickened 
  condition. 
  The 
  

   cause 
  of 
  this 
  was 
  probabh' 
  that 
  the 
  shell 
  with 
  its 
  tenant 
  

   had 
  sunken 
  too 
  deeply 
  into 
  the 
  mud 
  when 
  the 
  ingestion 
  

   of 
  the 
  black 
  ooze 
  commenced, 
  giving 
  rise 
  to 
  the 
  remark- 
  

   able 
  changes 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  i-ecorded. 
  No 
  doubt 
  had 
  this 
  

   condition 
  of 
  things 
  persisted 
  for 
  long 
  the 
  animal 
  would 
  

   have 
  been 
  smothered 
  by 
  the 
  mud. 
  

  

  Mr 
  I) 
  AND 
  tup: 
  YOrN<i 
  FKV. 
  

  

  The 
  accumulation 
  of 
  the 
  slightest 
  quantity 
  of 
  sediment 
  

   around 
  a 
  young 
  oyster 
  would 
  tend 
  to 
  impede 
  its 
  respira- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  in 
  that 
  way 
  destroy 
  it, 
  yet, 
  in 
  the 
  natural 
  beds 
  

   there 
  are 
  so 
  few 
  naturally 
  clean 
  places 
  which 
  remain 
  so, 
  

   lihat 
  it 
  is 
  really 
  surprising 
  that 
  so 
  many 
  young 
  oysters 
  

   pass 
  safely 
  through 
  the 
  critical 
  periods 
  of 
  their 
  lives 
  

   without 
  succumbing 
  to 
  the 
  smothering 
  effects 
  of 
  mud 
  

   and 
  sediment. 
  When 
  it 
  is 
  borne 
  in 
  mind 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  

   time 
  the 
  infant 
  oyster 
  settles 
  down 
  and 
  tixes 
  itself 
  once 
  

   and 
  for 
  all 
  time 
  to 
  one 
  place 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  no 
  power 
  

   to 
  move 
  itself, 
  it 
  measures 
  at 
  the 
  utmost 
  one-eightieth 
  

   (1-80) 
  of 
  an 
  inch, 
  it 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  hard 
  to 
  understand 
  how 
  

   easily 
  the 
  little 
  creature 
  can 
  be 
  smothered 
  even 
  by 
  a 
  very 
  

   small 
  i)incli 
  of 
  dirt. 
  The 
  animal, 
  small 
  as 
  it 
  is, 
  must 
  al- 
  

   ready 
  begin 
  to 
  breath 
  just 
  tn 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  as 
  its 
  parents 
  

   did 
  befoi-e 
  it. 
  Like 
  them 
  its 
  gills 
  soon 
  grow 
  as 
  little 
  til- 
  

   aments 
  covered 
  with 
  cilia 
  which 
  cause 
  a 
  tiny 
  curient 
  of 
  

   water 
  to 
  pass 
  in 
  and 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  shell. 
  The 
  reader's 
  im- 
  

   agination 
  may 
  be 
  here 
  allowed 
  to 
  estimate 
  the 
  feeble 
  

   strength 
  of 
  that 
  little 
  current 
  which 
  is 
  of 
  such 
  vital 
  im- 
  

   portance 
  to 
  the 
  tiny 
  oyster, 
  and 
  the 
  ease 
  with 
  which 
  it 
  

   may 
  be 
  stopped 
  by 
  a 
  very 
  slight 
  accumulation 
  of 
  dirt. 
  — 
  

   Mobius 
  estimates 
  that 
  each 
  oyster 
  which 
  is 
  born 
  has 
  

   Y^^- 
  of 
  a 
  chance 
  to 
  survive 
  and 
  reach 
  adult 
  age, 
  so 
  nu- 
  

   merous 
  and 
  effective 
  are 
  the 
  adverse 
  conditions 
  which 
  

  

  