958 The Zoologist — October, 1867. 



properly worked, as it extends and enlarges them, and also gives the young oysters room 

 to grow and spread, and the oysters are always of better quality and larger after the 

 ground has been once cleared. I consider the most effectual way of protecting the 

 oyster-beds, and to ensure an efficient and never-failing supply, would be to prohibit the 

 burning of oysters into lime, to work one-third of the oyster-beds at a time, changing once 

 every year, so that each oysler-bed will have two years' rest, which would be sufficient time 

 to replenish themselves, and one-third of the beds properly worked would yield a supply 

 of excellent oysters, very far in excess of the present demand. It would also be 

 advisable to place some restriction on the taking of oysters, either by issuing licences, 

 or by leasing the beds for a term of years. There is much injury sustained, and 

 thousands of bushels of oysters thrown away, from the want of some such regulation. 

 If a new ovster-bed is opened, there is an immediate rush to it, the best of the oysters 

 are forced into the market, the supply for a time far exceeds the demand, and a large 

 proportion of those sent up find their way to the lime-kilus. It would also be desirable 

 if facilities could be given to persons desirous of forming artificial receiving and feeding 

 beds for oysters, to be permitted, under certain regulations, to select suitable localities 

 for their formation, to be legally secured to them. By the establishment of such places, 

 a large quantity of oysters would be saved that are at present thrown away. 



The natural oyster-beds of New South Wales are both numerous and extensive: 

 I append the following list of some of them : — Tweed River : very fine oysters ; never 

 been worked. Richmond River: very fine oysters; never been worked. Clarence 

 River: small oyster; very good and extensive beds. Camden Haven (recently opened): 

 fine oysters ; very large beds, reported able to fully supply the market for five or six 

 years. Manning River: fine oyster-beds, worked out, but will recover in two years if 

 left untouched during that time; has been worked out four times. WallisLake: extra 

 fine oysters, but requires a rest. Port Stephens: numerous beds of large extent; has 

 been worked continually for fifteen years, and is still iu good working condition. 

 Hunter River: most productive oyster-beds iu the colony ; oysters small, but very good ; 

 has been worked out five times, but always recovers with a two years' rest; is now in 

 full work after an eighteen months' partial rest, and is supplying about one thousand 

 bushels a-week, besides probably double that quantity destroyed by the shell-gatherers : 

 I estimate the supply from the last working at 168,000 bushels. Lake Macquarrie: 

 small extent. Broken Bay: oysters secondary quality, unlimited in quantity: all the 

 creeks running into it full of them ; has been iu constant work for the last ten years, 

 and is still sending an undiminished quantity to the market, and of an improved quality 

 latterly. Sydney Harbour and Parramatta River: chiefly mud-oysters; in some parts 

 worked out, and others died out, the oysters having perished on the beds; there are 

 some young mud-oysters on the Parramatta River, but they are not sought after. 

 Botany Bay : small oysters. George's River : very fine oysters ; requires a rest. Port 

 Aitken: small rock and mud-oysters, none coming to market. Shoalhaven: very good 

 oysters, but indifferent keepers. Crookhaven : very good oysters ; extensive beds. 

 Jervis Bay: large beds, mud-oysters; none sent to market. Wogonga: small drift 

 and large mud-oysters. Tuross River: good oysters. Clyde River: extensive beds of 

 various kinds of oysters, very good when arrived at maturity; requires a two years' 

 rest, after which it could supply 1500 bushels a-week for twelve months. Durass 

 Lake: small extent; very fiue oysters; wants a rest. Panbula : abundance of good 

 oysters ; not woiked. Berramamagui : very fine oysters ; large beds, not worked. 



