294 FRESH-WATER MUSSELS. 



this second transplantation no nets are used, the large 

 size of the mussels rendering them unnecessary. 



In the bouchot milieu the mussels remain for about a 

 twelvemonth, after which they pass a short time in the 

 buchot d'avant ; there they are so near the shore that, 

 when fully ready for the market, they can easily be 

 gathered by the hand. They are in the best condition 

 from July to January. During the spawning-season, 

 from February to April, they lose their flavour, and ac- 

 quire a toughness which is anything but agreeable. 



Certain localities are famous for the special quality of 

 their mussels, and they would seem to be of superior 

 excellence when found in tidal estuaries. This will pro- 

 bably be due to the nature of their food. A very large 

 and fine species, the Mytilus choros, is found at Chiloe. 



Fresh- water mussels, though allied to the Mytilidse, 

 form a different family. They have a much larger foot, 

 which, except when the animal is very young, does not 

 produce a byssus. Though some of the species are Euro- 

 pean, most are American, where they abound in the lakes 

 and rivers, and generally live embedded in mud. 



It is supposed they feed upon animalcules, and upon 

 decomposed animal and vegetable matter. In many the 

 epidermis is very brilliantly coloured, while the inside of 

 the valves is coated with a beautiful iridescent nacre. 



On the south and east coasts of England are found two 

 species ; while the Cineo (Alasmodon) margaritifera or 

 Meya margaritifera, which inhabits the streams of Wales 

 and Scotland, is celebrated for the pearls it produces. 



Of the British pearl-fisheries, however, we have spoken 

 in the preceding chapter. 



