4 
was published in Hitchcock’s Zoology of Massachusetts, 1835, and includes the 
mollusca of the whole New England coast); W. H. Perley (1852 and 1854); 
Alex. Monro (1855). 
The distribution given by later writers is as follows: 
Willis (1863): ‘‘Whole coast; common.”’ 
Gould, A. A. (1870): ‘Extensively distributed throughout all northern seas. 
Appears to inhabit shallow water. Eastport, common (Cooper).”’ 
Verrill, A. E. and Smith, S. I. (1873): ‘In Bay of Fundy from littoral zone 
to 50 fathoms.” 
Ganong, W. F. (1885): “Passing to the mussel family (Mytilidae) the Bay 
(7.e., Passamaquoddy Bay) affords at least four species of which far the most 
abundant is the edible mussel (Mytilus edulis). Crowded closely together 
above ground and clinging by the firm byssus they occupy great beds, all of a 
dull black colour except where a lighter coloured specimen of the variety pel- 
lucidus is more conspicuous than its fellows. The nearer low water mark they 
are the larger they are, while they are found at their fullest perfection by dredging 
in four or five fathoms.” 
Whiteaves, J. F. (1901): ‘Common everywhere, at or a little above low- 
water mark.’ 
Detweiler, John D. (1915): ‘“‘Common throughout this region in the littoral 
zone.” 
In the following detailed description of the location of the mussel beds as 
found during the summer of 1917 it will be seen that although in a general way 
the mussel was ‘“‘common everywhere”’ in certain localities it was lacking. As 
will be pointed out later this was due to the fact that the mussel was re-establish- 
ing itself in the regions after being almost entirely exterminated there. It will 
be noted also that although dredging operations were carried out near some of 
the large beds no living specimens of Mytilus edulis were obtained in this way. 
The distribution was confined to the littoral zone. This is in harmony with 
Detweiler (1915) but disagrees with Verrill (1873) and Ganong (1885). What 
the explanation of this disagreement is, the author is not prepared to say. In 
other regions mussel beds have been known to be completely exterminated (from 
causes not always obvious) even within a limited period. An interesting case 
of this occurred a few years ago at Woods Hole, when only shells and fragments 
were dredged in the summer of 1908 in several localities where mussels had been 
abundant during the summer of 1903. All the beds in deep water, however, 
were not exterminated, Mytilus edulis being “abundant and universally dis- 
tributed in Vineyard Sound at 1-19 fathoms.’’ (Sumner, Osburn and Cole, 1913). 
Description of the Mussel Beds of the St. Andrews Region in 1917. 
The investigation of the region was carried out at or about low tide, when, 
by the combined use of a launch and dinghy, the extent of the beds could be 
ascertained by direct observation. In this way the whole shore (including 
portions of the creeks whose mouths were on this shore-line) from Oak Bay to 
Upper Green Point on the Mascareen shore was explored; also the entire shore 
of Navy Island and of Minister’s Island, a portion of the shore of Bliss Island, 
the shore of Deer Island, from North Harbour to a point opposite Indian Island, 
18 
