169 
Upon an over-dredged and almost exhausted bed the oysters- 
will be large and single, blunt-billed, with dirty shells, and 
an almost entire absence of sponges, barnacles and crejpidula 
will be noticed, but the shells will be covered with tubicolu 
and bored in many places by the boring jpholad. 
Late in the last spring the dredgers began working on the- 
beds immediately off Kedge’s Straits and the one off Hog 
Heck, and during the present season the returns show that 
the beds in the Sounds have been, to some extent, abandoned 
for those outside in the Bay. 
As so little dredging was done before my examination, I 
think the results of the dredging operations of the party may 
be considered as obtained from unworked beds. These results 
will be alluded to subsequently. 
Probably small beds will be found along the shores of the 
islands from Kedge’s Straits to the entrance of Tangier Sound,, 
but as the water was shoal I could not dredge very close in. 
As far as can be seen at present there is no reason why 
the existing beds should not be extended very considerably, 
and such extension will probably take place now that the 
dredgers are beginning to work upon the beds. If suitable 
cultch is exposed, probably very large areas will soon be cov- 
ered with oysters. 
TABLE OF PROPORTIONS TO SQUARE YARD. 
Locality. 
No. of observ. 
Proportions. 
Section 1, West of Kedge’s Straits 
40 
0.371 
“ 2, “ Red House ... 
7 
0.430 
“ 3, “ White House 
11 
0.296 
“ 4 “ Hog Neek 
28 
0.399 
Mean of observations 
0.375 
The above table of proportions to the square yard has been 
compiled from all observations made in the Bay, when there 
was any evidence of a bed existing, such evidence being given 
by the probe, soundings, and character of the matter brought 
up by the dredge. 
