166 PISH. 



says the learned Kirby, " they are hermaphrodites, and are 

 stated by Poll, the great luminary of conchology, to contain 

 1,200,000 eggs, so that a single oyster might give birth to 

 12,000 barrels ! ! " This is the only shell-fish, as the same 

 author remarks, that man has made certain pits or beds for ; 

 , such beds are placed where salt water may have -access to 

 them at high tide. 



Oysters are considered by gourmands as a whetter to the ap- 

 petite, and a few taken before dinner, with a little lemon-juice 

 squeezed over each, are said to stimulate a languid appetite. 



June, July, and August are forbidden months for oysters 

 and clams. Small oysters are generally considered the 

 nicest-flavored. 



In cooking all shell-fish, great care is necessary, for if they 

 are overdone, or smothered in foreign substances, they not only 

 lose their individual piquancy, but are less easily digested. 



Escalloped or Scalloped Oysters. 



The shell of the escallop is sometimes used for the oyster ; 

 if not to be easily procured, use shallow dishes for oysters 

 thus served. Wash the oysters in their liquor, remove them 

 carefully one by one, strain the liquor to get rid of bits of 

 shell, return the oysters to their liquor, and put them to scald 

 in a stewpan. When heated, remove them, and fill your 

 shells or dish with oysters, sprinkle them with bread-crumbs, 

 a little pounded mace, clove, and slices of butter ; heat the 

 liquor again, and work a small piece of butter into a little 

 flour, drop it into the liquor with a dust of cayenne pepper, 

 put it to the oysters, and bake them a light brown. 



Fried Oysters. 



Wash the oysters from their liquor, dry them in a cloth. 

 Beat two eggs, and grate into another dish a nice loaf of 

 baker's bread. Wash each oyster in the egg, and roll them 



