﻿An 
  Account 
  of 
  ail 
  Experiment 
  in 
  Artificially 
  Fertilizing; 
  the 
  

   Ova 
  of 
  the 
  European 
  Oyster 
  (Ostrea 
  edulis.) 
  

  

  Having 
  been 
  engaged 
  during 
  the 
  summers 
  of 
  1878 
  — 
  9 
  

   under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Coast 
  and 
  Greodetic 
  Sur- 
  

   vey 
  upon 
  an 
  investigation 
  of 
  tlie 
  oyster 
  beds 
  of 
  Chesa- 
  

   peake 
  Bay. 
  and 
  liaving 
  devoted 
  some 
  attention 
  to 
  tlie 
  

   biology 
  of 
  tlie 
  American 
  oyster 
  during 
  those 
  seasons, 
  

   such 
  study 
  being 
  an 
  incidental 
  and 
  partially 
  a 
  necessary 
  

   portion 
  of 
  my 
  work. 
  I 
  ha\'e 
  been 
  lead, 
  by 
  the 
  interest 
  

   awalvened 
  by 
  my 
  previous 
  labors, 
  and 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Brooks' 
  

   late 
  successful 
  experiment 
  in 
  artihcially 
  impregnating 
  

   the 
  ova 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  oyster, 
  to 
  attempt 
  a 
  like 
  ex- 
  

   perimnnt 
  with 
  the 
  Eurox)ean 
  species. 
  While 
  the 
  vessel 
  

   to 
  which 
  I 
  am 
  at 
  present 
  attached 
  was 
  off 
  Cadiz, 
  Spain, 
  

   I 
  was 
  so 
  fortunate 
  as 
  to 
  obtain 
  about 
  one 
  hundred 
  oys- 
  

   ters 
  tit 
  for 
  fertilization 
  from 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  tlie 
  Bay 
  of 
  

   Cadiz, 
  and 
  my 
  experiment 
  having 
  been 
  successful 
  beyond 
  

   my 
  expectations, 
  I 
  have 
  concluded 
  to 
  lay 
  tlie 
  record 
  of 
  

   it 
  before 
  the 
  Maryland 
  Academy 
  of 
  Sciences, 
  think- 
  

   ing 
  that 
  any 
  information 
  regarding 
  the 
  oyster, 
  whether 
  

   of 
  the 
  European 
  or 
  American 
  species, 
  could 
  not 
  fail 
  to 
  

   be 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  tlie 
  Academy. 
  During 
  the 
  summer 
  

   of 
  1870 
  I 
  had 
  the 
  pleasure 
  of 
  witnessing 
  the 
  experiments 
  

   of 
  Dr. 
  Brooks, 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  detailed 
  in 
  his 
  paper 
  upon 
  

   the 
  Development 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  Oyster, 
  and 
  with 
  

   which 
  tlie 
  Academy 
  is 
  doubtless 
  familiar, 
  and 
  in 
  con- 
  

   ducting 
  my 
  own 
  experiment 
  I 
  have 
  followed 
  his 
  method 
  

   as 
  nearly 
  as 
  possible, 
  and 
  have 
  used 
  his 
  figures 
  in 
  de- 
  

   scribing 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  European 
  animjil. 
  I 
  

   can 
  therefore 
  lay 
  no 
  claim 
  to 
  originality 
  in 
  either 
  the 
  

   conception 
  or 
  execution 
  of 
  the 
  experiment 
  wliich 
  I 
  un- 
  

   dertook, 
  and 
  I 
  am 
  but 
  a 
  follower 
  in 
  Dr. 
  Brooks' 
  foot- 
  

   steps. 
  As 
  however, 
  this 
  is, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  aware, 
  tlie 
  

  

  