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The mussels were always found as previously, occurring only in the littoral 
zone except in special locations such as anchor chains, which afford some pro- 
tection against certain of their enemies, e.g., starfish. 
2. DISTRIBUTION IN DIGBY REGION, NOVA -SCOTIA. 
In August, 1918, I paid a short visit to Digby, Nova Scotia, with a view 
to making a survey of the mussel beds in the Annapolis Basin. Owing to the: 
difficulty experienced in obtaining suitable boats for trips and the slowness with 
which one could proceed close inshore at low-water (due to the quantities of 
eel-grass which infest the shore) it was found possible to visit only the beds close 
to Digby, and one bed reported at Gulliver Hole, a few miles down the coast 
outside the Basin. 
Through the co-operation of the Maritime Fish Corporation I was enabled 
to secure the guidance of the mussel fisherman, Mr. Portie Weir, while visiting 
the mussel beds. For this assistance I am much indebted. 
For many years the sea-mussel has been known as common to this region. 
Its distribution has been given as follows: 
Willis, 1863: ‘‘ Whole coast; common.” 
Verkruzen, 1878: ‘‘Annapolis Basin and Digby Gut, common.” 
Ganong, 1889: ‘‘Very abundant everywhere on coast of Acadia.” 
Three kinds of mussels had been reported to me as occurring in this region— 
a large blue one, a large red one, and a small black one. Consequently, I expected 
to find Mytilus edulis, Modiola modiolus and possibly Modiola nigra were the 
mussels reported. I found, instead, only Mytilus edulis, large eroded specimens 
being called ‘‘blue’’ mussels, those stained a reddish brown (the cause of the 
stain has not been ascertained) being the so-called ‘‘red’’ mussels, while the 
small sea-mussels growing close inshore were the “‘black’’ ones. I found also 
several specimens of the lighter, horn-coloured variety of Mytilus edulis, viz., 
Mytilus edulis pellucidus, growing in the various beds. 
The best mussel beds are the one in Joggins Cove and the one in Smith Cove 
(Chart 2). These beds are of the same type. The shore is a very gently sloping 
muddy one with a considerable quantity of eel grass growing on it, particularly 
in Joggins Cove. There are, moreover, a large number of shallow tide pools. 
In these the mussels grow in large numbers and to a good size (Table 2). Some- 
times patches of mussels extend from pool to pool, but the greater number are 
found in the pools often half-buried in the soft mud. In Joggins Cove the wreck- 
age of an old weir furnishes an anchorage for a large colony. These mussels 
were reported by the mussel fisherman to be ‘‘finer and larger’’ than those 
growing on the muddy bottom. This colony suggested, of course, the buchét 
method of mussel culture and raises the question as to whether or not some 
modification of that method could not be used profitably in this region. Much 
of the muddy bottom furnishes no surface on which the spat can attach them- 
selves, hence only a portion of the bottom produces mussels. Every available 
bit of brush or other solid structure is densely covered so there would appear 
to be no lack of spat. 
There is also a large bed of good-sized mussels on the flats extending from 
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