34 OYSTER BOTTOMS IN MATAGORDA BAY. 



separated by soft mud and prolongations of scattering growths north- 

 west and southeast. The denser area, which is the older part of the 

 bed, has still no very great age, the living oysters reposing on a soft, 

 muddy bottom in which shells can be detected with the probe for a 

 depth of about 4 feet. The surrounding more scattered area has 

 substantially the same character excepting that the oysters are found 

 at wider intervals. 



The oysters are extremely long and narrow and with dead shells 

 are crowded into large clusters, which are buried for one-third to one- 

 half their length in the soft mud. The adults average about 5 inches 

 in length, but many of them are 6 to 7 inches long. As in other 

 localities of this part of the bay, the clusters are covered with a dense 

 growth of barnacles arid mussels, but the oysters are fatter than are 

 found at any point above. On the densest parts of the central area 

 there is an average of about 48 adult oysters per square yard, but 

 the average yield is below this. The bed is estimated to contain about 

 6,400 barrels. 



ELEVEN MILE LUMPS. 



This is a group of three dense areas near the north shore between 

 Stump and Grass signals. They are here so called because situated 

 about 11 miles from Matagorda. The largest and most eastward is 

 about 325 yards long and 200 yards wide, with an estimated area of 

 about 11 acres. The other two lying farther offshore to the west- 

 ward are small bodies covering about an acre each, and are not accu- 

 rately plotted on the chart. They were observed during the ex- 

 tremely low tides of Avinter, when their crests were about awash, but 

 were not found by the hydrographic party and their importance 

 appeared so slight that no extended search was made for them. 



No detailed examination was made of the larger bed, but a cursory 

 observation indicated that it bears a general resemblance to Grass 

 Lump. The estimated contents are 4,700 barrels of oysters over 3 

 inches in diameter. The growth is dense over the greater part of all 

 three lumps, with a more scattering growth on the margins. These 

 are apparently all old beds. Upon the crests of the smaller lumps 

 the oysters are small and many are killed by cold and exposure dur- 

 ing the low tides of winter. 



CREEK PATCHES. 



The beds to which this name is given in this report lie along the 

 north shore between the mouth of Live Oak Creek and Stump signal. 

 There are five beds in the group, ranging in extent from about 2 to 

 about GO acres. The largest bed lies southeast of Stump signal, begin- 

 ning as an exposed reef just off the mouth of a small creek and 



