43 



The spawn, or spat, is at first white and apparently 

 lifeless, turns grey and then black, at which last stage it 

 visibly springs to life. The spat floats in the water for a 

 few days, and, if it be not carried out to sea, nor killed by 

 cold, nor swallowed by fish, it falls to the bottom to anchor 

 itself by a sticky substance with which it is provided, like 

 all bivalves that require attachment, to a shell or the side of 

 some other hard substance, to which the general term 

 " cultch " is applied. Thus early the oyster endeavours to 

 secure a position in life, where it is least likely to run the 

 risk of being smothered by sand during a rough sea, or 

 otherwise destroyed at once, as it probably would be, if it 

 settled on the top of its anchor shell, stone, tile, or other 

 object. It settles, too, with its deep or left shell uppermost, 

 the flat or right shell being next the ground to insure 

 steadiness, as well as to enable the oyster to eject sand or 

 <frit, which it could not do so well if lying the deep shell 

 downwards. Also, adhering by the deep shell, it is able 

 more easily to drop off the cultch, which it is known to 

 be able to do in springtime, when the growth takes place, 

 as with trees and plants. 



Dredgers are most careful to return all cultch to the 

 water, and even when empty oyster shells, still adhering 

 at the hinge, called " clocks," are dredged up, they have strict 

 orders to " part the clocks " before throwing them overboard. 



The tint of the oyster shell, like many other living things, 

 matches the prevailing colour of its surroundings to 

 avoid attracting attention, which was probably not the 

 object in view of a Court dressmaker, who recently 

 produced a costume described as made of "oyster satin 

 pompadour brocade." If the spat falls on the mud it 

 perishes at once, if on weed it perishes with the weed ; but 



