﻿53 
  

  

  lay 
  and 
  every 
  injurious 
  agency 
  can 
  be 
  watched 
  and 
  de- 
  

   stroyed 
  before 
  serious 
  damage 
  is 
  done. 
  

  

  DirnCT'LTY 
  OF 
  KEEPING 
  AKTIFICIALLY 
  IMPREGNATED 
  

   EGGS 
  ALIVE. 
  

  

  During- 
  my 
  sojourn 
  at 
  St. 
  Jerome's 
  Creek, 
  experiments 
  

   made 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  young 
  oysters 
  alive 
  which 
  

   had 
  developed 
  from 
  artificially 
  impregnated 
  eggs, 
  met 
  

   with 
  no 
  better 
  success 
  than 
  the 
  attempts 
  previously 
  made 
  

   by 
  Prof. 
  W. 
  K. 
  Brooks. 
  The 
  difficulties 
  experienced 
  

   were 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  those 
  encountered 
  by 
  him, 
  that 
  is, 
  it 
  

   was 
  found 
  impossible 
  to 
  renew 
  the 
  water 
  on 
  the 
  swim- 
  

   ming 
  embryos 
  without 
  losing 
  many 
  of 
  them. 
  Whether 
  

   the 
  mortality 
  experienced 
  is 
  altogether 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  de- 
  

   comi)Osition 
  of 
  organic 
  material, 
  sudden 
  or 
  violent 
  

   changes 
  of 
  the 
  temperature 
  and 
  weather, 
  or 
  a 
  want 
  of 
  

   more 
  frequent 
  changes 
  of 
  water, 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  prepared 
  to 
  say. 
  

   Heavy 
  storms 
  no 
  doubt 
  affect 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  embryos 
  very 
  

   much 
  ; 
  sometimes 
  mortally, 
  as 
  Prof. 
  Brooks' 
  experience 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  my 
  own 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  indicate. 
  Floating 
  

   boxes 
  with 
  muslin 
  bottoms 
  were 
  tried, 
  but 
  with 
  indiffer- 
  

   ent 
  success, 
  although 
  the 
  boxes 
  were 
  covered, 
  violent 
  

   rains 
  seemed 
  to 
  kill 
  the 
  embryos. 
  The 
  muslin 
  bottom 
  

   which 
  was 
  employed 
  was 
  soon 
  found 
  to 
  become 
  loaded 
  

   with 
  organic 
  matter 
  and 
  small 
  organisms, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  soon 
  

   became 
  practically 
  impervious 
  to 
  water. 
  The 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  minute 
  life 
  was 
  rapid, 
  and 
  the 
  sides 
  and 
  bottom 
  

   on 
  the 
  inside 
  were 
  soon 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  slime 
  loaded 
  with 
  

   vibriones, 
  monads 
  and 
  infusoria 
  into 
  which 
  the 
  delicate 
  

   eggs 
  probably 
  sank 
  to 
  be 
  smothered 
  or 
  consumed 
  as 
  food 
  

   by 
  this 
  microscopic 
  host. 
  Repetitions 
  of 
  the 
  experiment 
  

   met 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  bad 
  success, 
  until 
  at 
  the 
  suggestion 
  

   of 
  Major 
  Ferguson 
  a 
  large 
  liannel 
  pen 
  was 
  constructed 
  

   into 
  wliich 
  a 
  (piautity 
  of 
  eggs, 
  numbering 
  many 
  millions, 
  

   were 
  placed. 
  The 
  pen, 
  although 
  so 
  large, 
  6 
  feet 
  long, 
  4 
  

   deep 
  and 
  8 
  wide, 
  gave 
  results 
  of 
  little 
  more 
  value; 
  though 
  

   I 
  obtained 
  a 
  single 
  young 
  oyster 
  which 
  fixed 
  itself 
  on 
  

  

  