1885.] NEW-YORK MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. 63 



line style, or rod ; and a notable fact is that under the micro- 

 scope it does not reveal the slightest cell structure, as a tiny 

 morsel taken from the oyster anyvvhere else certainly would. 

 What I mean is that the substance of this style is homogeneous, 

 as if it were made of simple gelatine. Now for the hint to 

 which I have alluded. The part, or end, which is inside the 

 stomach, like the end of a stick of candy in the baby's mouth, 

 is abraded, or melted away in part. The surj^rising fact, then, 

 is the almost perfect certainty that this organ supplies pepsin 

 to the oyster's stomach — a conclusion which has only been 

 reached within a few days past, from the study of this organ 

 in other mollusks. 



But you observed the extraordinary length of the intestine — 

 nearly three times that of the oyster's body. Now, as the food 

 is lashed along by the numberless cilia inside the intestine 

 through its entire length, and as the nourishing juices are 

 takpn through the walls by osmosis, you see that this arrange- 

 ment subjects the entire food-supply to a thorough absorption. 

 But the length is not all the wisdom in this digestive scheme. 

 The intestine is not a simple cylinder. A cross section shows 

 a convolute inner wall ; it is as if a small cylinder were soldered 

 by one side along the inside of the large cylinder along its 

 whole length, thus increasing immensely the absorbing surface. 



You may think it wonderful that the oyster should grow so 

 fast upon such minute food. I have lately been compelled to 

 study this matter up. Some months ago a live sea-horse was 

 brought to me. Her scientific name is Hippocampus heptas;onus, 

 but we named her Hippie. It has been a joy to me to have 

 kept her in good condition so long. But it has required some 

 management. The fisherman who brought it was asked how it 

 should be fed. "Oh," said he, "it is n't a fish, and so don't 

 feed, but lives on suction." He spake wiser than he knew, as 

 this singular fish does live entirely on microscopic life. I will 

 tell you my secret — how I managed the matter. I gave her an 

 aquarium to herself, and kept two large jars for breeding ani- 

 malcules ; that is, infusoria, &c. But these invisible things need 

 nitrogen, and an aquarium should be absolutely clean. The 

 problem seemed to be, how to have it clean and dirty at the 

 same time. Now, if you drop into your aquarium a bit of fresh 

 beef, and let it be until, like the peddler's fish, it has become a 



