236 
portion to the number of young, and the Poeomoke beds, es- 
pecially the Bird and Hern Island Pocks, appeared to have 
suffered most from their ravages. 
A description and sketch of this animal, taken from spe- 
cimens preserved by me, has been made by Mr. W. PI. Dali, 
Assistant, who has kindly furnished me with copies. Yery 
few star fish, and no other enemies were discovered in the 
Sounds, and the drills are probably the only ones that do 
any considerable damage. 
In regard to the beneficial effect, or the reverse, of fresh 
water, there can be no doubt that the oysters at least appear 
fatter and are superior after absorbing it, though they become- 
poorer in flavor. 
In order to test the effect of fresh water upon them and to* 
determine if the low spring tides had any share in causing 
the decrease in the numbers on the beds, a dozen oysters were- 
selected from the same bed and haul of the dredge. Six of them 
were opened immediately and inspected and found to be rath- 
er poor, of small size, and dark color, but of the ordinary flavor. 
The remaining six oysters were placed in perfectly fresh water 
for twenty-four hours, the water being changed several times, 
during that interval. They were then opened and inspected. 
They were alive and in good order, very fat, or apparently so,, 
and of a creamy white color and much swollen, but of very 
insipid taste. As the oysters were alive at the end of a day’s 
immersion in fresh water, they can not well be destroyed 
by the brackish water of low Spring ebbs, to which they would 
not be exposed for more than six hours, though a continuance 
of heavy freshets might very seriously affect them. As there 
is but one river in both Sounds (the Poeomoke) likely to sub- 
ject the oysters to this evil, for the main beds there is noth- 
ing to fear. 
The evil effects of sudden jars and concussions are proba- 
bly due to the breakage of the delicate pedal muscle,, 
which after the spawning season, in common with all other- 
parts of the animal, is in a more or less weakened con- 
dition. 
In explaining the fact that the oysters in deep water 
