212 
same as on the natural beds, and this should be the aim and 
result of all laws having the protection of the beds in view. 
Whether such a law T is necessary or not for the locality sub- 
jected to the examinations of the last two summers I will not 
attempt to show. 
Referring to that portion of this report relating to the fe- 
cundity of the beds in the Sounds, it is seen that in some cases 
the ratio of young to mature oysters is greater, and, in other 
cases, less than it should be, and that in a few cases the pro- 
portion seems to be within the prescribed limits. As has been 
shown, the decreased ratios must be the result of a want of 
reproduction, while the increase may be due to the removal 
of the mature oysters. 
If we take the total number of the oysters examined in the 
Sounds we will have a ratio expressing the general fecundity 
of the beds, and this ratio between 70,866 mature oysters and 
36,824 young ones is 0.5. 
Assembling all the oysters counted on the beds in the Bay 
we would have as a ratio 1.5. 
Practically, none of the mature oysters had been removed 
from these beds in the Bay, while large numbers had been 
taken from those in the Sounds. The estimates of each show 
approximately how many have been taken, and if by examina- 
tion of them we find that the number of mature oysters taken 
off greatly exceeds the number of young removed, it may be 
assumed that the restoration of both classes to the beds would 
be immediately shown by a change in the proportion of young 
growth to mature oysters. 
By the estimate of 1878 we find that 184,600,200 mature 
and 148,800,000 young wmuld be removed. 
But as the number of young removed would be less and 
less during the season, on account of the mortality among 
them, and as we have found that mortality to be about 50 per 
cent., I consider that the removal of the young during the 
season of 1878 and 79 probably did not exceed 74,400,000. 
Therefore the total number removed was 259,000, 00, of 
which 71 per cent, were mature, spawn-bearing oysters. 
But 65 per cent, of the oysters at present on the beds are 
