234 OYSTEE-GEOWTH. 



that only an imperceptible portion remains near the parent 

 etock. AH the rest is dissipated over the sea space ; and if 

 these myriads of animalculse, tossed by the waves, do not meet 

 with solid bodies to which they can attach themselves, their 

 destruction is certain, for if they do not fall victims to the 

 larger animals which prey upon them, they are unfortunate in 

 not fixing upon the proper place for their thorough development. 



Thus we see that the spawn of the oyster is well matured 

 before it leaves the protection of the parental shell; and by 

 the aid of the microscope the young animal can be seen with 

 its shell perfect and its holding-on apparatus, which is also a 

 kind of swimming-pad, ready to clutch the first " coigne of 

 vantage '' tl^t the current may carry it against. My " theory " 

 is, that the parent oyster goes on bremig its spawn for some 

 time — I have seen it oozing from the same animal for some 

 days — and it is supposed that the spawn swims about with the 

 current for a short period before it falls, being in the meantime 

 devoured by countless sea animals of all kinds. .The operation 

 of nursing, brewing, and exuding the spat from the parental 

 shell will occupy a considerable period — say from two to four 

 weeks. It is quite certain that the close-time for oysters is 

 necessary and advantageous, for we seldom find this mollusc, as 

 we do the herring and other fish, full of eggs, so that most of 

 the operations connected with its reproduction go on in the 

 months during which there is no dredging. As I have indi- 

 cated, immense quantities of the spawn of oysters are annually 

 devoured by other molluscs, and by fish and crustaceans of 

 various sizes ; it is well, therefore, that it is so bountifully 

 supplied. On occasions of visiting the beds I have seen the 

 dredge covered with this spawn ; and no pen could number the 

 thousands of millions of oysters thus prevented from ripening 

 into life. Economists ought to note this fact with respect to 

 fish generally, for the enormous destruction of spawn of all 

 kinds must exercise a very serious influence on our fish supplies. 

 I may also note that the state of the weather has a serious 

 influence on the spawn and on the adult oyster-power of spawn- 

 ing. A cold season is very unfavourable, and a decidedly cold 

 day will kiU the spat. 



Some people have asserted that the oyster can reproduce 

 its kind in twenty weeks, and that in ten months it is full- 

 grown. Both of these assertions are pure nonsense. . At the 

 age of three months an oyster is not much bigger than a pea j 



