HISTORY 0J<" THE OYSTER. 29 



The common Barnacle, called ' Nuns,' is also much 

 detested by the fishermen, as, by attaching itself to 

 the outside of the shell, it destroys its smooth appear- 

 ance, so much prized by the proprietors of native 

 oysters and their customers. There are others, and 

 their name is Legion, that feed upon the young fish. 

 The common Mussel, when it establishes a colony 

 upon an oyster-bed, does much harm indirectly ; not 

 so much by adhering to the shells, as by the mud 

 collecting about them forming an uneven bottom. 

 The Nullipore, called by the fishermen * Coral,' is 

 also very injurious to the beds off some parts of the 

 Isle of Man. 



