17 



The Shark's Fin is a more compact bod than its neighbor, though about the edges, especially 

 those bordering on the main channel, the oysters exist in groups, as on the beds already described. 

 The animals are spread over the entire area, but are found in larger numbers about the central and 

 more solid portions of the bed, and are scattered more and more widely as the borders are 

 approached. The southern limit is not very well defined, scattered oysters extending farther in 

 that direction than in the others. The depth of water is from 8 to 15 feet, the general depth being 

 about 12 feet. The bottom is hard, consisting of oysters and shells with mud and sand for about 

 3 feet, and then a stratum of soft sand or mud. On the western part of the bed the shell stratum is 

 much thinner and the substratum is hard sand. East of the bed the bottom, being that of the 

 main channel, is of mud, and to the westward and southward of sand, soft near the bed, but 

 growing harder as the distance from the bed increases. 



The oysters were single, of a moderate size and fine quality. Very few young and no drills or 

 other enemies were discovered, but the young growth of less than a year were found in large 

 numbers, and also a little of the red sponge on the northern part of the bed. The scattered oysters 

 were similar iu character to those on the bed, though a larger proportion of young growth was 

 found to the southward, and the same absence of "youug" and drills was noticed both on muddy 

 and sandy bottoms. On the bed the number of oysters to the square yard was 1.01. The number 

 to the square yard on the area covered by scattered oysters west of the bed was 0.04, east 0.03, 

 and south 0.03. 



Nanticoke Middle Ground Bed. — On the middle ground between the channels into the Nanti- 

 coke and Wicomico Eivers there is a large bed of an area of 3,1!>5,000 square yards, called the 

 "Middle Ground Rock." It extends along the channel into the Nanticoke about 2\ miles, and its 

 greatest breadth is three quarters of a mile. The bed is broken in many places, as will be seen on 

 the chart, where only the larger divisions are shown, and the oysters grow in groups and patches 

 of different areas with mud sloughs separating and intersecting them in all directions. The 

 whole bed is broken up in this manner, but it is less noticeable on the northern and southern 

 portions than on the central. The depth of water is from 8 to 21 feet, the deeper water being 

 found along the western edge of the bed, where it borders on the channel, but, as the shoal 

 rises abruptly, the parts of the bed covered by deep water are of small extent, and the general 

 depth may be considered as about 11 feet. The bed is clearly defined by the channel of the 

 Nanticoke on the west and the sands on the east. The bottom is a thin layer of mud over a 

 stratum of shells and oysters from one-half foot to 5 feet iu thickness. About the middle and 

 western portions of the bed the substratum was soft mud, while on the northern, eastern, and 

 southern portions hard sand was found underneath the shell stratum. The bottom on the 

 central part of the bed in many places appeared to consist of alternate strata of shells and mud 

 and on the northern and southern parts the general character of the bottom was much harder 

 than on the central portion. To the northward and eaNtward of the bed the bottom was of 

 hard sand or fine gravel, and probably the lowest stratum of the bed bottom, could it be 

 reached, would be found of similar nature. South and west of the bed and in the channels the 

 bottom is soft mud. Only a lew oysters were found iu the channel into the Wicomico, and none, 

 in that iuto the Nanticoke. 



The oysters were generally of an inferior quality and small size, and grew singly and in small 

 clusters, though the number of the former was comparatively small. No young were found, but 

 many young growth, probably about one ye*r old, and no sponge, grass, or drills. Along the edge 

 of the Nanticoke Channel the shells were blackened, probably by the mud. On the west side of 

 the Nanticoke Channel, north and east of the one-fathom sand shoal, there are a few small beds, 

 comprising a total area of 270,uOO square yards. The depth of water over them is from 4 to 8 feet, 

 and they are unbroken but separated from each other by spaces of mud or sand. Over these 

 spaces the depth of water increases. The bottom is a stratum of shells, about one foot in thick- 

 ness, over a stratum of sand and clay. A light covering of mud lies on top of the shells. The 

 oysters were single, with many of a young growth. Many shells, but no young or drills, were 

 found. West of these beds and southeast of Clay Island light the oysters are very thinly scat- 

 tered, in small groups or singly. The three-fathom curve approximately defiues their limit to the 

 App. 11 3 



