EASTERN OYSTERS. 31 



II. Who They are, and Hoav They Came Here. 



A great many years ago there were plenty of 

 large oysters living in the sea off the coast of Cali- 

 fornia. Some of them were very large indeed, — 

 so big that a ten-year-old boy would not want to 

 carry one very far without resting. The shells 

 would be almost as long as one of his arms and a 

 good deal thicker than his fist, and what a time 

 he would have in trying to open one of them. 



But all of that kind of oysters have been dead 

 for thousands of 3^ears; possibly they were all dead 

 before there was a man upon the earth. Yet we 

 now find their shells in the rocks, high up on the 

 coast mountains, in the western part of Fresno 

 County, and in other localities. 



Long, long ago, the ocean waves must have 

 rolled over those places, and the great oysters 

 had a happy life; but there came a change, and 

 the ocean beach was slowly lifted up, and changed 

 into a range of mountains, while the sea crept 

 away to the westward. 



Well, after this age there came another one, 

 and the oysters of the new age were far smaller 

 than those of the old one. In fact, they were lit- 

 tle fellows, with thin shells about as large as the 

 petals of a big rose. The meats were good eating, 



