140 AMERICAN JOURNAL 



cause of a phenomenon whicli takes place in a creature so easily 

 accessible to observation as the oyster. However, public atten- 

 tion has lately been so frequently drawn to this " illustrious bi- 

 valve," that we have no doubt there will soon be some new light 

 thrown upon this subject. We understand that Mr. Frank 

 Buckland, in reply to a question addressed to him by the House 

 of Lords some time since, stated that a professional chemist, to 

 whom he had submitted specimens of the green oyster, had al- 

 ready found out the true cause of the coloration. 



This, whatever it be, does not seem, however, to have been as 

 yet made public. Mr*. Buckland himself seems to incline to the 

 opinion that a growth of green weed of some kind or other 

 during certain times of the year only is the cause. It is now 

 well known that we hare real green oysters, or rather green- 

 hearded oysters^ in England. These have been long exported to 

 various countries, where the taste for such delicacies was more 

 advanced than with us. It would seem that the greenness in 

 the oysters from the river Roach in Essex is, however, entirely 

 confined to the beard. The fact that another river (the Crouch), 

 running into the Roach, possesses oysters with white beards, only 

 renders the whole question all the more curious and puzzling. 



Meanwhile, until the actual properties of green oysters which 

 are neither plucked from the keels of ships nor fished up near 

 the copper mines at Falmouth shall be discovered, we advise any 

 of our readers who are at all inclined to be nervous on the sub- 

 ject to remember the valuable test afforded by ammonia, and add 

 a small bottle of it to the usual pepper and vinegar accessories, 

 to be us^d in a case of doubt, — though, if they have a mind to 

 eat the oyster in case their suspicions should prove groundless, 

 we would recommend the simple ordeal of the sewing needle as 

 the more suitable. 



