THE OYSTER AND THE DOCTOR. 309 



Europe and elsewhere, bear testimony to the use made of 

 this mollusc for food by the primitive inhabitants of this 

 globe of ours. 



But, if we have no record of this courageous indi- 

 vidual, we have, at least, a legend concerning him, which, 

 I am led to hope, will interest my reader. 



" Once upon a time a man of melancholy mood was 

 walking by the shores of a picturesque estuary, listening to 

 the monotonous murmur of the sad sea-waves, when he 

 espied a very old and ugly oyster-shell, all coated over 

 with parasites and sea-weeds. It was so unprepossessing 

 that he kicked it with his foot, and the animal, astonished 

 at receiving such rude treatment on its own domain, gaped 

 wide with indignation, preparatory to closing its valves 

 still more tightly. Seeing the beautiful cream-coloured 

 layers that shone within the shelly covering, and fancying 

 that the interior of the shell itself must be beautiful, he 

 lifted up the aged ' native ' for further examination, insert- 

 ing his finger and thumb within the valves. The irate 

 mollusc, thinking, no doubt, that this was meant as a fur- 

 ther insult, snapped its pearly doors down upon his fingers, 

 causing him considerable pain. After releasing his 

 wounded digits, our inquisitive gentleman very naturally 

 put them in his mouth. 'Delightful!' exclaimed he, 

 opening wide his eyes; 'what is this?' and again he 

 sucked his fingers. Then the great truth flashed upon 

 him that he had found out a new delight had, in fact, 

 achieved the most important discovery ever made. He 

 proceeded at once to realise the thought. With a stone 

 he opened the oyster's stronghold, and gingerly tried a 

 piece of the mollusc itself. 'Delicious!' he exclaimed: 

 and there and then, with no other condiment than its own 

 juice, with no accompaniment of foaming brown stout or 



