42 THE OYSTER. 



Let us see if there arc any liard words here that want 

 explaining before we go any further. The first we stumble 

 upon is CoJosHHs, which comes from the Latin, and means a 

 great image or statue, like that which ancient historians tell 

 us once bestrode the entrance to the harbour of lihodes. Eni- 

 bri/o comes from the Greek, and means something small and 

 unfinished, that is to expand or grow into a more perfect form, 

 as the seed into a plant. Aniifialcithv, are minute or very 

 small animals, such as cannot be distinguished without the 

 help of a microscope, hence they are sometimes called micro- 

 scopic animals; this word comes from the Latin anif/iali.% which 

 means having life. Phosphoric signifies luminous, or giving out 

 light. The Greek name of the morning star is Phospha. In 

 Latin, Phosphorus is a term a])plied to a substance Avhich 

 chemists extract from bones and other animal matter, and 

 which when exi)osed to air burns with a ])ale blue light 

 like that emitted by the glow-worm. !Many of the oceanic 

 or sea animalciihe are exceedingly phosphorescent, so that, by 

 night, the waves appear like billows of fiame. Of this lumi- 

 nosity of the ocean, as it is termed, we shall have to speak 

 on another occasion. AVe will now return to the Oyster, who, 

 it will be seen, is by no means so solitary in his bivalve 

 palace as might be supposed. He has his torch -bearers, and 

 other attendants, quite a host of them, no doubt magnificently 

 dressed, if we could but see them to advantage, and well 

 instructed in the several duties which they have to perform 

 Oh yes, certainly, as the Irish poet has said, 



"Of all the Conchiferous shell-fish. 

 The Oyster is surely the Kin?;" 



Shall we continue the quotation: and say 



"Arrah Mick, call the people who sell fish, 



And tell them a dozen to bring; 

 For it's I that intend to demonstrate, 



The creature's phenomena strange, 

 Its functions to set every one straight, 



And exhibit their structure and range." 



Scarcely will our limited space permit us to do this, but a 

 few of tlie most remarkable particulars about this common 



