36 



greatly and rapidly enlarges, and at this time is consid- 

 ered to be in good condition, or "fat." as the lisliemien 

 say. This increase in the size of the body or visceral 

 mass is entirely due to the rapid growth of the generative 

 organs and the ripening of the products in them. The 

 process of coming into condition is, then, just the reverse 

 of what occurs in the oyster. The sexes are distinct, since 

 I never found anything excex)t ova in the females, or sper- 

 matozoa in the males. The head of the spermatozoan 

 differs from that of the oyster in being elongated. The 

 number of ova set free by an adult female, jtidging from 

 the relatively enormous bulk of the ovaries, must be 

 very oTeat. and since the eo-o-s are of exactly the same size 

 as those of the oyster. l-oOOth inch, it is not at all im- 

 probable that there may be as many as 100,000,000 ma- 

 tured. I succeeded in impregnating the eggs artificially 

 on the 13th of September last, and watched their devel- 

 opment until the gastrula stage had been reached, when 

 my observations came abruptly to an end. 



The importance and valite of this delicious mollusk 

 is hardly ai:)preciated on the SoutLern coast as it should 

 be. and it appears to me that the artiticial culture of it 

 should be almost as much of an object as that of the oys- 

 ter, Avith which it will compare very favorably when 

 properly served at table. 



The mussels inhabiting St. Jerome's Creek appeared 

 to l)elong to the genus Mocliolfi rin ; no true Jli/tilus 

 being noticed. 



A few Gasteropods were noticed, consisting of three 

 species of nudibranchiates— (witliout shells.) and a feAv 

 very small univalves, the only larger univalve was Lit- 

 torina irrorata, which was very common, sticking by 

 means of the foot to the stems of the tall grass flanging 

 the shores of the creeks. Xo species of boring mollusk 

 was noticed in the waters of St. Jerome's, so that oyster- 

 culture may probably be conducted there without harm 

 from the Urosalpinx, or ••drill" as it is called. There 



