THE OYSTER 



saline constituents ; and he quotes the Baltic, where the 

 tasty little creatures are almost unknown, as an instance. 

 But equally there are particular quarters of the ocean- 

 bed the Bay of Arcachon, for example, or the Essex 

 and North Kent " flats " that scientists say are specially 

 adapted to oyster-culture ; and, as the last-named is the 

 better-known ground, as well as one of the oldest and 

 most important in the world, we will take a glance at the 

 kind of work that goes on there. 



The law forbids the sale of English and Scotch oysters 

 between the middle of May and the beginning of August, 

 partly to prevent undue clearing of the beds, partly 

 because the oyster is at that time more or less poisonous, 

 " sick," as the fishermen call it ; it is spawning. The 

 spawn, or " fry,' 1 falls in tiny particles on the stones, 

 shells, and rubbish at the bottom of the sea and soon 

 develops into small white protuberances : " spat " ; these 

 in their turn become little bivalves which are found lying 

 independently, or with one shell tightly stuck to some 

 foreign body. Such baby oysters are called " brood," and 

 more than half of the fisherman's time is given up to 

 collecting them. 



Oysters are dearer than other shell-fish for pretty much 

 the same reason that pheasants are dearer than rabbits ; 

 they are a proprietary article, and their rearing is a 

 somewhat expensive matter. The beds from which the 

 fully developed fish are taken belong to companies or 

 private individuals, and are severely marked off by buoys. 

 But such preserves are very small when compared with 

 the immense surrounding space on which anyone may 



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