56 OYSTERS, AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



Aldrovand, in his voluminous work published in 1606, 

 quotes the account of Sergius Grata from Pliny, and also 

 an account of the luxury of ^Esop's son in eating oysters. 

 This author's account is altogether indeed very amusing. 



Jonston, in his " Historia Naturalis de Exsanguibus 

 Aquaticis," published in 1657, gives a wonderful story of 

 the earth having subsided in the time of the war with 

 Mithridates, when lakes and rivers appeared, some fresh 

 and others salt, stocked with oysters and fish. He also 

 gives an account of the manner in which the crab enters 

 the shell of the oyster, by inserting a stone between the 

 valves when open, and devouring the fish at leisure. The 

 Pontifical suppers in ancient Rome appear to have begun 

 with echini, or sea-eggs, and oysters. 



Dacosta's work, " Historia Naturalis Testaceorum 

 Britanniae," appears to have furnished matter for most of 

 the modern works on the Oyster. He mentions, quoting 

 from Jacob's " History of Faversham," that a company of 

 free dredgers existed there in the time of Henry II. (i 154), 

 and that they paid for their right the sum of twenty-three 

 shillings and fourpence annually to the crown ; that two 

 annual Admiralty or Water Courts were held, for the 

 fisheries and of the oyster-trade, which, he says, received 

 generally about ^"3000 from the Dutch. 



The same author states, " that from the mouths or 

 entrances of Sandwich Bay and the adjoining coast, or 

 Richborough and Reculver, oysters are got in great plenty, 

 and are the most delicious that can be taken ; but as the 

 beds do not afford native oysters sufficient for the demand, 

 large quantities of small ones, called ' brood,' are annu- 

 ally collected from different parts of the surrounding sea, 

 even from the Land's End in Cornwall, from Scotland, and 



