56 



one of small capacity, working slowly. Probably enough 

 crated water would pass through the hatching chamber 

 by being changed 24 to 48 times in the course of 24 hours, 

 to ensure the success of this method of artificially incu- 

 bating the artiticially impregnated eggs. Difficulties 

 might be experienced in keeping the membranes from 

 clogging in the practical conduct of the work of incuba- 

 tion by either of the methods which I have proposed, but 

 this could easily be remedied by filtering the water to be 

 passed through the hatching chambers, through moder- 

 ately coarse cloths, and by carefully keeping the outer 

 canvas covering the membranes clean, and by renewing 

 both canvas and membranes from time to time. 



The importance and value of an apx)aratus by the help 

 of which the oyster may be artificially hatched and taken 

 care of up to the critical period when the young larvae 

 ^:si themselves, can hardly be over-rated, because if this 

 can be achieved a new lease of life a^vaits the interests of 

 oyster-culture. There may he difficulties in the way 

 which I have not foreseen, but the importance of the 

 plans x)roposed and the schemes which dejiend upon them 

 are so great that I hope to be pardoned for ax)pearing too 

 sanguine in my anticii3ations of success. 



Should success attend experiments made in the way 

 above described, so far as to keep the larvae in a healthy 

 state up to and including the period when they iix them- 

 selves, it will be necessary to provide some kind of col- 

 lecting apparatus which may be placed in the hatching 

 chambers after it is ascertained at what age they are 

 ready for fixation. It may also be necessary some time 

 before the young are ready to attach themselves to pro- 

 vide them vath food by passing untiltered water into the 

 hatching chamber to avoid starving them, from a hose or 

 vessel, without its having passed through the incurrent 

 membrane which filters out both the dirt and the food of 

 the young oysters. The collecting apparatus which has 

 suggested itself to me and which I think might be used 



