BIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF WOODS HOLE AND VICINITY. 



68 I 



Family 



edulis Linnaeus. Common sea mussel. 

 [Chart 127.] 



Gould, 1870, p. 183; Verrill and Smith, 1873, pp. 

 692, 307, etc.; Ball, 1889, p. 38; Field, 1911, 

 p. 87. 



Shells abundant and universally distributed in 

 Vineyard Sound, at i to 19 fathoms; in Buz- 

 zards Bay, less frequent and restricted to the 

 southern portions. During the Survey dredg- 

 ing living mussels were chiefly taken in the 

 western half of the Sound, where they were 

 occasionally brought up by the bushel. Ex- 

 tensive mussel beds occur locally in shallow 

 waters near shore, and the species is also fre- 

 quently abundant on piles. In early life they 

 become attached to almost any solid object, 

 and two living specimens were taken from the 

 gill chamber of a lobster. Owing to causes 

 which are not always obvious, great mussel 

 beds may be completely exterminated within 

 a limited period, leaving deposits of shells. 

 Thus several localities where mussels were 

 extremely abundant during the summer of 

 1903 were redredged in 1908, but only shells 

 and fragments were taken. 



Fish Hawk stations: 7521 (few shells), 7521 bis 

 (fragments), 7525 bis (fragments and a few 

 whole shells), 7533 (several), 7533 bis (several 

 shells), 7535 (many), 7536 (numerous), 7536 

 bis (many fragments), 7539 bis (i shell), 7540 

 (fragment), 7541 (several shells), 7541 bis 

 (many shells), 7542 (i shell), 7542 bis (few 

 shells), 7543 (fragments), 7545 (many large 

 fragments), 7545 bis (many fragments), 7546 

 bis (many fragments), 7547 bis (abundant), 

 7548 (large fragment), 7550 (many), 7550 

 bis (few shells and fragments), 7551 (liv- 

 ing), 7551 bis (i bushel, living), 7552 (many 

 fragments), 7552 bis (few shells), 7553 (shells, 

 forming large part of contents of dredge), 

 7553 bis (many shells), 7555 (several bush- 

 els, living), 7556 (tons, living), 7556 bis 

 (many shells), 7557 (few shells), 7558 (frag- 

 ments and shells abundant, constituting 

 greater part of catch), 7559 (few), 7560 (few 

 shells), 7561 (many), 7562 (many fragments), 



7562 bis (few fragments), 7563 (many shells), 



7563 bis (few fragments), 7564 (many, consti- 

 tuting greater part of catch), 7564 bis (very 

 many shells), 7565 (many), 7 565 bis (fragments), 

 7566 (many living), 7567 (few shells), 7568 

 (fragments), 7569 (few fragments), 7569 bis 

 (few fragments), 7570 (many living), 7571 

 (several bushels, many living), 7572 (many 



Mylilus edulis Continued. 



shells), 7573 (bushels, living), 7574 (many 

 shells and living), 7575 (fragments), 7576 

 (fragments), 7577 (few shells), 7578 (many 

 living), 7579 (few shells), 7581 (several shells), 

 7582 (several shells), 7583 (few shells), 7584 

 (few shells), 7585 (few shells,) 7587 (i shell), 

 7588 (few shells), 7591 (many shells), 7592 

 (many living and shells), 7593 (many shells), 

 7594 (many shells), 7595 (many living), 7596 

 (many), 7597 (few shells), 7598 (few shells), 

 7599 (many), 7600 (few shells), 7602 (few 

 shells), 7603 (i shell), 7604 (i shell), 7610 (frag- 

 ments), 7636 (few shells), 7638 (several shells), 

 7639 (several shells), 7653 (few small), 7656 

 (several large and small shells), 7660 (i shell I, 

 7661 (i shell), 7664 (few shells), 7665 (several 

 shells), 766^ (shells and living), 7668 (few 

 shells), 7670 (many living and shells), 7672 (i 

 shell), 7673 (i shell), 7674 (very few shells), 

 7675 (few shells), 7677, 7678 (many shells), 7679 

 (large and small living), 7680 (very abundant, 

 small living), 7681 (many small living and 

 large shells), 7682 (many large and small 

 shells), 7683 (i fragment), 7685 (many small 

 living), 7693 (several young and living), 7695 

 (fragments), 7696 (shells and fragments), 7697 

 (many shells), 7698 (few small living and frag- 

 ments), 7699 (fragments and living), 7700 

 (many fragments), 7701 (many fragments), 

 7702 (many fragments), 7703 (many fragments 

 and living), 7704 (fragments), 7705 (few frag- 

 ments), 7706 (few shell fragments), 7707 (many 

 living and shells), 7708 (few shells), 7709 (frag- 

 ments), 7717 (few fragments), 7718 (many 

 shells), 7719 (many shells), 7720 (fragments 

 and very many small living), 7721 (very many 

 living and shells), 7722 (fragments and very 

 many small living), 7723 (i small shell), 7724 

 (several living), 7725 (few small living), 7726 

 (few shells and fragments), 7727 (2), 7729 (i 

 small shell), 7730 (i living), 7731 (many frag- 

 ments and small living), 7732 (many living), 

 7733 (many living and shells), 7734 (very many 

 shells and fragments), 7735 (many shells), 7736 

 (many shells), 7737 (few fragments), 7738 (sev- 

 eral small living), 7739 (few shells and frag- 

 ments), 7740 (many shells), 7741 (many shells), 

 7744 (many fragments), 7745 (few fragments), 

 7752 (few fragments), 7769 (i large shell), 7771 

 (i shell fragment), 7772 (i shell fragment), 7773 

 (i shell fragment), 7776 (very many shells and 

 fragments), 7779 (few fragments), 7780 (few 

 shells), 7783 (very many shells). 

 Phalarope and Blue Wing stations: i (i shell), 4 

 (few shells), 16 (several shells), 22 (shells 



