172 EDIBLE BRITISH MOLLUSCA. 



" Oysters an Gratin. Set a little cream in a pipkin, 

 with a piece of butter (the quantities to be judged ac- 

 cording to the size of the dish), and mingle them 

 gradually ; add to this a little anchovy sauce, cayenne 

 wine, and grated lemon-peel. Pour half of this in a 

 dish, lay in the oysters, and grate over them a little 

 Parmesan cheese and bread-crumbs (not too thick a 

 layer), seasoned in the usual way; then pour over 

 the rest of the cream and butter, and grate another thin 

 layer of Parmesan and bread-crumbs. Set it in a quick 

 oven, or in a Dutch-oven."* 



In the Mediterranean, a species of oyster, viz., 

 Spondylus gcederopus, is eaten both in Spain and in 

 Italy. The Spanish names for it are Ostia vermella, or 

 Ostiavermeya, and the Italian, Spuonnolo, and Copiza. 



FAM. PATELLID^S. 

 PATELLA. LIMPET. 



PATELLA VULGATA, Linnaeus. Limpet. Shell oval and 

 conical in shape; apex central, or nearly so, strong, some- 

 times with ribs diverging from the apex to the margin, 

 and sometimes quite smooth. Colours various, pale grey- 

 ish-yellow or greenish-brown, inside generally showing 

 the same colour through, and the markings of the ribs 

 distinctly towards the margin ; the inside of the apex 

 an opaque bluish-white, and the whole slightly polished. 



The common limpet is found distributed all round 

 our coasts, where it is greatly valued as bait by fisher- 

 men, and Dr. Johnson calculated that in Berwick alone 

 there is an annual consumption of no fewer than 

 * Maitre Jacques. 



