66 THE OYSTER. 



the largest valves measured four feet six inches in length, 

 two feet five inches and a half in breadth, and one foot 

 in depth. A shell of the same species forms the bap- 

 tismal font at the church of St. Sulpice in Paris ; it 

 was presented by the Venetians to Francis i. And yet 

 these shells suspended their vast bulk by means of a 

 strong byssus. Below the hinge is a large opening, 

 through which the animal passes a bundle of tendinous 

 fibres, by which it is suspended to the rocks, however 

 large and weighty its shells ; and thus it is enabled, 

 under the direction of instinct, to fix itself securely I 

 Who then will refuse a tribute of praise to the all-wise 

 God, who thus so marvellously provides for the welfare 

 of his creatures ? 



Let us proceed now to a closer examination of the 

 bivalve mollusca. One of these demands particular 

 notice. The oyster has long been a favourite ; indeed^ 

 from time immemorial these mollusks have constituted 

 part of the food of man, fresh^ dried, or cooked, and 

 particularly in the former state. The Greeks, and 

 more especially the Romans, when they levied contri- 

 butions far and wide to cover the table of an Apicius 

 or a LucuUus, held them in very high estimation, and 

 attached no small importance to the localities from 

 whence they were obtained. Those of the Dardanelles, 



