60 JOURNAL OF THE [March, 



THE LIFE OF AN OYSTER. 



BY PROF. SAMUEL LOCKWOOD, PH.D. 

 {Delivered February 20th, 1885.) 



Ladies and Gentlemen : 



The time was when it was enough to say of a living thing, 

 that it lived. You remember the Fool's question in King Lear, — 



" Canst tell how an oyster makes his shell ?" 



This was simply a proverb of old. Here was a little creature, a 

 mere clot of animate jelly, capable of building for itself a 

 house of stone. How it did it, who could tell ? No one. 

 The Fool's question was a puzzle to the wisest. Indeed, then, 

 and long after, it was hardly safe to seem to know too much. 

 To-day, however, the question may be put, not only how does 

 the oyster make its shell, but also how does the egg make 

 the oyster ? Science, now, can describe the building of the 

 house, and can narrate the life-history of the builder and occu- 

 pant. 



Two years ago I lectured in this place on the oyster. I desire 

 that my address to-night shall be wholly distinct from that one. 

 Yet, as my lecture-notes are always very brief, it is easy to for- 

 get what was said so long ago ; hence I shall trust to vour 

 charity, should I unwittingly at some point repeat myself. I 

 recollect that the longest part of that lecture was devoted to 

 the physiology of the oyster — that the three vegetal systems 

 were discussed at length ; namely, the nutritive, or food system ; 

 the circulatory, or blood system ; and the respiratory, or breath- 

 ing system. The nerve system was also considered in detail. 

 Now, my desire when coming here was to make no reference to 

 any of these four sets of functions. But I have been requested 

 to dwell a little upon the nutritive, or digestive group of func- 

 tions ; and this I am glad to do, because it will enable me to 

 speak of an organ, the use of which was not known at the date 

 of iny former lecture. 



You will remember that I had some large carefully drawn 

 diagrams. The fear of repeating myself induced me not to 

 bring them ; htnce you will please follow my rude illustrations 

 on the blackboard. I will now with the crayon outline an 

 oyster shell. This is the right valve, the .one from which the 



