O^t-shells and Mussels 



07 



grown dissatisfied with its position, you will see the 

 broken and discarded byssus-ends in patches all over 

 the tank. Mussel-beds on some parts of our coasts 

 have been jealously watched because of their power 

 to hold the mud and sand, and prevent the foreshore 



with the tides and 

 currents. The 

 story of Bideford 

 Bridge is founded 

 upon the know- 

 ledge of the bind- 

 ing power of the 

 byssus. Most 

 books mentioning 

 Mussels repeat the 

 legend that Mus- 

 sels instead of 

 mortar bind the 

 stones of the 

 brido^e toofether, 

 and that, there- 

 fore, the town 

 authorities forbid 

 the removal of 

 the mollusks that " 

 throng its piers. 

 It is true that a 

 but it is due to 



i, 



Common Musse 



opened to she 

 (nat. size) 



nantle edge; 6, foot; c, byssus; d, c, 

 f, mouth; g, lips; /;., lobe of mantle 



the various organs 



luscles of the foot ; 

 i, j, gill plates 



prohibition of this sort exists, 

 a conviction that the IMussels 

 keep off the wear and tear of the tide. Mussels at 

 times give rise to very unpleasant symptoms in 

 those who have eaten them, occasionally even causing 

 death. All kinds of theories have been invented 



