THE MUSSEL. ZUT 
the organ, and is moulded by the groove of the foot into a thread 
such as that which forms part of the peculiar mane of the mussel. 
When the creature wishes to fix its byssus, it stretches out its foot, 
feels here and there for a fit object to which to attach it, and, 
having satisfied itself, affixes the extremity of one of the hairs, 
immediately retracting its foot. This operation is repeated several 
times, and each time a new thread is fixed. Four or five are thus 
fastened in twenty-four hours. When the whole bundle of the 
byssus is completed, its anchorage is perfect—none of our vessels 
can boast of 150 cables! When the bivalve has fastened its first 
thread, it tests it, to prove the strength of its hold and the firmness 
of its anchorage ; the thread is tightened until it well-nigh breaks, 
The second is also submitted to a similar testing. This process 
gives evidence that the mussel has more intelligence than the 
oyster. By the assistance of its byssus our bivalve can suspend 
itself from over-shelving rocks. It seldom, indeed, touches the 
ground, and this is the reason that its shell is always smooth 
and exhibits no signs of the rough usage of the waves. Thus much 
cannot be said of its aristocratic rival, for the oyster’s shell is rough 
and rugged, and frequently it encloses between its valves the dédris 
which the waves stir up from the bottom on which it lies. But 
it is not the habit which makes the monk. 
Mussels, like the oysters, are gregarious mollusks. They are 
widely distributed, and are found on every coast. An estuary, 
where the fresh water of a river mingles with the sea, is their 
favourite habitat, and there are few rocks at the embouchure 
of rivers which are not covered with a flourishing colony. They 
are also found attached to the branches of the polypiers, to the 
roots of submerged trees, to the piles which support the banks, 
and to the keels of vessels. 
The mussel may be eaten either raw or cooked, and though 
every one does not relish its flavour, yet it has by no means lacked 
admirers. Louis XVIII. was passionately fond of mussels; every 
week he had a supply for the royal table from Rochelle. It is said 
that he once gave Talleyrand the recipe of a sauce, which had the 
effect of placing the mussel in the first rank of the dishes of that 
day. Yet it is beyond dispute that the oyster is far more palatable 
OFZ 
