Ob THE SEA-SIDE AND AQUARIUM. 



of the foot, at the bottom of which thin, horny 

 filaments are formed by an exudation of a peculiar 

 substance, that soon hardens and assumes the requi- 

 site tenacity and firmness. While still soft, the 

 Mussel by means of its foot applies the extremity 

 of the filament, which is dilated into a kind of little 

 sucker, to the foreign substance whereunto it wishes 

 to adhere, and fastens it securely; Having accom- 

 plished this, the foot is retracted, and the thread, of 

 course, being drawn out of the furrow where it was 

 secreted, is added to the bundle of byssus previously 

 existing, all of which owed its origin to a similar 

 process." * 



There is another bivalve to be found on our coasts, 

 named Pinna. It has something of the appearance of 

 a monster Mussel. 



This animal also spins a byssus, the threads of 

 which are so numerous, soft, and delicate, that they 

 are not unfrequently spun like silk, and manufactured 

 into various small articles of wearing apparel. 



Mr Gosse, speaking of the Pinna, says that, " in the 

 British Museum, together with some fine specimens 

 of the shells of this mollusc, there is a pair of gloves 

 made of its byssus ; but articles made of this material 

 are very costly, and cannot be considered in any other 

 light than that of curiosities. Pope Benedict XV., in 

 1754, had a pair of stockings presented to him, which 

 were woven from the silk of the Pinna. These were 

 the subject of general admiration, from the extreme 

 * Professor Jones's "Animal Kingdom." 



