NATURALISTS CABINET. 



Oyster fishery Locomotive faculty. 



numth it is felony to carry away the cultch, and 

 otherwise punishable to take any oyster between 

 whose shells, when elosed, a shilling will rattle. 

 The reason, of the heavy penalty on destroying 

 the cultch is, that when this is taken away, the 

 <Ki>e will increase, and muscles and cockles will 

 breed on the bed and destroy the oysters, from 

 gradually occupying all the places on which the 

 spawn should be cast. There is likewise some 

 penalty for not treading on and killing, or throw- 

 rug on shore any star lish that happen to be seen. 

 These, when collected in any numbers, arc very 

 destructive to the oyster beds, inserting their 

 rays, as the shells lie open, and devouring the 

 animals within. 



The Abbe Dicquemaire, who attended minute- 

 ly the manner of these as well as of several other 

 marine animals, assures us that they have a power 

 of moving themselves, and this by the singular 

 effort of ejecting water with considerable force 

 from their shells. They thus are able either to 

 throw themselves backward or to start aside in a 

 lateral direction. He says that any person may 

 aim ise Ivimself with the squirting and motions of 

 oysters, by putting them in a plate placed in a 

 horizontal position, which contains as much sea 

 water as is sufficient to cover them. 



The oyster has been represented by many au- 

 thors as an animal destitute not only of locomotive 

 faculty, but of every species of sensation. The 

 above naturalist, however, has shown that it can 



