JBtctionanj of &mmatctr $atttir. 483 



i stones, or other hard substances that happen ! covered at their birth with a mucilaginou 

 to be near. Very commonly they adhere to : liquid which attaches them to the surface o 

 adult shells ; and thus are formed the large ; any object on which they rest. The anima 

 masses termed oyster-banks. In about a strengthens this first adhesion in the same 

 year and a half they attain a size fit for the manner that it increases the size of its shell 

 table ; and they are taken by dredging, and At the mouths of several American, African 

 stored in pits formed for the purpose, fur- and Indian rivers, great quantities of Oysters 

 nished with sluices, through which at spring are found attached to the roots of trees, and 

 tides the water is suffered to flow. In these \ even to their branches, where they are so situ- 

 receptacles they acquire a green tinge, which ated as to be covered by the tide. Mrs. Lee, in 

 arises from the confervce, and other marine her ' Stories of Strange Lands,' says, " The 

 vegetable matter, on which they feed. The j flavour of the tree-oyster is delicious ; they 

 powers of multiplication which Oysters pos- I are small, and cover the lower branches of 

 sess are so wonderful, that the banks or beds ' the mangroves. Two or three of these 

 which they form occupy portions of the sea, i branches form an ample luncheon, and in 

 in shallow parts, extending for miles ; and the river Gaboon we had a daily supply." 

 in some places (particularly along the allu- n-vcT>-L<T> n A T^TT-P-D , IT 

 vial shores of Georgia, in North America) OYSTER-CATCHER. (Hcematopus.) A 

 walls of living Oysters literally counteract wading bird which resides on the seashore, 

 the otherwise resistless force of the tide. ' where it feeds on manne animals. Its feet are 

 Oysters are particularly plentiful on the strong and muscular ; and it both runs and 

 British coasts, and form a most important flles swiftly. In the British species (llama- 

 article of commerce. The breeding and fat- fS"" ostralegits) the head, neck, upper part of 

 tening of them for the London market forms the breas t' back ' wings, and tip of the tail, 

 a considerable branch of business, which is are , of a dee P black . : th "imp, base of the 

 principally carried on in Essex and Kent ; tail > a transverse stripe on the wings, and the 

 but exclusive of the Oysters bred there, vast whole of the und er parts of the body, of a 

 numbers are found on the coasts of Hants P ure white : the beak and circle round the 

 and Dorset ; and they are also exceedingly eve , s of a bright orange ; the irides crimson ; 

 abundant in the Jersey fishery, employing and the feet red. Oyster-catchers abound on 

 in it, during the season, about 1500 men/1000 JJ 16 western coasts of England : feeding on 

 women and children, and 2.50 boats. limpets and oysters ; and from their dex- 



From the spawning time till about the end terit y in procuring the latter their name is 

 of July, the Oysters are said to be sick, but d erived. It does not construct any nest; 

 by the end of August they become perfectly but d eposits its eggs on the bare ground, 

 recovered. Our Oyster fisheries are regulated ab ve high- water mark : they are from two 

 by a court of admiralty; and after the month t fou _ r m number, of an olivaceous brown, 

 of May it is felony to carry away the cultch, blotched with black. During the period of 

 (which means any substance the Oysters incubation the male is very watchful, and 

 adhere to), and otherwise punishable to take u P n the least alarm utters a loud scream 

 any Oyster between whose shells, when and flles off > M does also th e female, after 

 closed, a shilling will rattle. ! running some distance from the place where 



Oysters form the basis of many culinary the eggs are deposited. If taken young they 

 preparations, but are much more digestible in maybe easily reared, and will frequent the 

 their raw state than after any mode of cook- P ond s and ditches during the day, keeping 

 ing them, as this process in a great measure ln company with domestic poultry. They 

 deprives them of the nourishing animal jelly are abundant throughout all the coasts of 

 which forms so large a portion of their sub- j Europe, and other species occur on many of 

 stance. The shell of the Oyster is composed j those of Asia and America, 

 of carbonate of lime and animal matter, and | _ _ 



was, at one time, supposed to possess peculiar I FACA. (_Coelogenys.) A genus of Rodent 

 medical properties ; but analysis has shown ' animals, allied in many points to the Capy- 

 that the only advantage of these animal ; baras and Agoutis, but presenting also con- 

 carbonates of lime over those from the mine- i siderable differences, particularly in the 

 ral kingdom arises from their containing no i complex structure of the molar teeth. They 

 admixture of any metallic substance. | inhabit the woods of South America, and are 



The Oyster is a very entertaining object generally found in the vicinity of water, 

 to those who are fond of microscopic inves- 

 tigation. In the clear liquid around the 

 animal, many minute, round, living ani- 

 malcules have been found, whose bodies being 

 conjoined, form spherical figures with tails, 

 not changing their place otherwise than by 

 sinking to the bottom, being heavier than 

 the fluid ; these have been frequently seen 

 separating, and coming together again. In 



other Oysters, animalcules of the same kind 



ere found not conjoined, but swimming by 



one another, where they seemed in a more 



perfect state, and were judged by Lewenhoek 



to be the animalcules in the rot or melt of 



the Oyster. 



All bivalves which adhere by the shell are 



concealing themselves in burrows so near 

 the surface that the foot of the pedestrian 

 often breaks through. There are generally 

 three openings to a burrow, which the animal 

 takes care to cover with dry leaves and 



T T 2 



