THE ENEMIES OF THE MUSSEL. 169 



through that aperture the life and substance of the 

 Mytilus was drawn by the voracious Purpura. 



But the poor Mussel is exposed to the attacks of 

 other enemies aquatic birds, as sea-gulls and 

 ducks, eagles, vultures. Even water-rats and mon- 

 keys may also be included in the list. 



It is amusing to see a gull, by no means a foolish 

 bird, standing patiently before a Limpet, for example. 

 The animal, unsuspicious of the presence of an enemy, 

 raises his canopy with the view of relaxing his over- 

 strained muscles, and is instantly toppled over by 

 the intruding beak of the bird. If unsuccessful in 

 his first attempt, the gull is* well aware it would 

 be useless to try a second time at that tide. 



But if a Mussel be the object of attack, it is 

 wrenched from its seat, raised to a certain height, 

 and then allowed to drop upon a stone with the 

 view of breaking the shell. In one locality called 

 Mussel Bay, Mr. Barrow says he disturbed some 

 thousands of birds, and found so many thousands of 

 shell-fish scattered over the surface of a heap of 

 shells, that, for aught he knew, would have filled as 

 many thousand waggons. 



This habit of the feathered tribe was, by the way, 

 well known to the ancients, and I may be pardoned 

 relieving my pages by a quotation on the subject 

 from the 'Shepherd's Calender' of Spenser, whose 

 exquisite descriptions of natural history are as marvel- 

 lous as his allegorical poem. The author of the 



