4 REPORT 1865. 



beg to state that the facts hereafter mentioned are in no ease derived from 

 books, but from actual observation and experiment. 



I have found that there is an amazing amount of most valuable informa- 

 tion, because the result of practical experience, afloat. This information lias, 

 however, never yet been properly collected, sorted, and reduced to a scientific 

 bearing. The further, moreover, that I investigate the question of that most 

 mysterious mollusk the Oyster, the more I find that, after all, we know little 

 or nothing at all about it. 



The cultivation of the full-grown oyster is indeed pretty well known after 

 it has arrived over the state of " brood ;" but in its earliest stages of deve- 

 lopment comparatively little or nothing is known. It is the more important 

 therefore to turn our attention in this direction, as legislation is actually at 

 fault in the matter, and, as recent events have proved, those whose duties it 

 is to make laws for the fisheries hardly know what laws to make. 



I would propose to divide my Eeport under several heads — 



1. The cultivation of the oyster by natural means. 



2. The cultivation of the oyster by artificial means. 



3. Experiments in hatching by artificial heat. 



4. Experiments on a large scale on the fore shore. 



5. The chemical analysis of the oyster. 



6. On dredging. 



7. Comparison of the French and English system of oyster-culture. 



8. Experiments on oyster-spat. 



9. On the cause of greenness in oysters. 



Although we know not as yet the actual process by means of which the 

 delicate and thin-shelled young spat manages to cling to various substances, 

 yet we can by observation find out the objects which it seems to prefer; and 

 these I woidd place in order as follows : — 



1 . The shell of the living oyster. 



2. The shell of the dead oyster, technically called " Culch." 



3. The shells of mussels, periwinkles, whelks, clams. 



4. Pieces of crockery, glass, tiles, tobacco-pipes. 



5. Iron. 



6. Wood. 



I would propose to examine these in rotation. 



1. T7ie Shell of the Living Oyster. — In the natural state, when not dis- 

 turbed by the hand of man, we find that the tendency of the oyster is to 

 accumulate in large groups, crowded and packed together in the most fan- 

 tastic shapes. You find them of all ages, the nucleus of the group being a 

 very old oyster, and around it oysters of ages varying from six or eight years 

 to spat of as many months. It is curious to remark that these oysters have 

 a tendency to accommodate each other ; for I find that very seldom is there a 

 dead one among the group, but that they are for the most part alive and 

 thriving. 



There is a locality in the North Sea, known to the deep-sea trawlers, 

 not far from the island of Heligoland, in lat. 54° to 55°, long. 5° to 6° : 

 the trawlers avoid this spot, because the great clumps of oysters cut then- 

 nets and do much damage. By the kindness of my friend Mr ."Thomas, owner 

 of the trawling-smack ' Hurricane,' I am enabled to show samples of these 

 oysters ; and I cannot but think that, were capital provided, and if expe- 

 rienced men undertook the task, the fishing of this oyster-bank, at the present 

 high price of oysters, would turn out to be a remunerative speculation. The 



