THE ZooLocist—JUNE, 1876. 4943 
underneath shell, this is exactly consistent with their economy—to 
work where they are least disturbed. 
Now the “spat,” as it is termed after its adherence to the cultch, 
if left alone would be a fixed object for life. The oyster dredger 
and his men now come in, and before the poor thing is six months 
old they drag it or tear it away from the cultch. This is done when 
the dredgermen are what is called cleaning their beds, in the close 
summer months. No spat ought to be allowed to be torn from its 
cultch for at least two years. If the beds cannot be cleaned without 
destroying the oyster, well then let them alone. It is quite obvious 
that machinery could be used to effect the object of removing weeds 
and five-fingers and dog-whelks without injuring the spat. All 
things must come to an end; and so will the cultivation of the 
oyster, if natural laws and well-known facts are disregarded, and 
every one is permitted to destroy the goose which lays the golden 
eggs. With regard to temperature at the spatting season, I do not 
believe that, ceteris paribus, it matters much, unless excessively 
_ cold and boisterous. The young oyster gets a complete shell 
within the shell of its mother. When emitted, for the forty-eight 
hours which I believe is about the time it wanders about in search 
of cultch, it is in the greatest danger, not only from boisterous 
weather, but from the numerous enemies which in such a state it 
possesses, and which, being microscopic, we know nothing about. 
Pages of evidence may be written down, and committees may sit 
for session after session; but unless the laws of Nature in the 
economy of the oyster are observed and acted upon in its culture, 
it follows that this delicious edible must in the course of time 
become extinct. The oyster is a gregarious animal, living in 
immense masses, the dead shells of which become the “ cultch” of 
the young brood. In dredging both are removed, and the oyster 
is laid down in beds where the proper cultch does not exist. The 
Blackwater is said to be the finest oyster river in the world, and 
yet people are permitted to go there at all times and remove the 
cultch from its bed. I am told that this cultch or “soil” has 
actually been sold for land draining—another feature in the golden 
egg tale. The commercial value of oysters has enormously in- 
creased, and the best of our oysters from this neighbourhood are 
bought by the French and Dutch, who will always give a better 
price than Englishmen. If we were to prohibit the exportation of 
oysters, we should soon have them cheap enough, and eaten only 
