294 



UTILITARIAN ZOOLOGY 



Billingsgate.' . . . When we remember what is known of the 

 early state of Great Britain, we can scarcely be surprised that 

 Sallust, who lived and wrote about fifty years before Christ, 

 had a better opinion of our oysters than our ancestors, for he 

 said, * The poor Britons there is some good in them after all 

 they produce an oyster '. Whitstable may certainly claim some 

 share in creating that good impression." 



The superior quality of the 

 Whitstable Natives is mainly 

 due to the character of the in- 

 shore beds where the oysters 

 live, for not only is the soil 

 favourable, but there is the 

 necessary admixture of fresh 

 water of suitable nature from 

 the land. Upon these beds 

 are planted the seed oysters 

 dredged further out in the 

 estuary, while some of these 

 are imported from France. 

 The "cultch" to which the 

 bivalves attach themselves is 

 largely made up of empty 

 oyster-shells (fig. 1212). One 

 ingenious method that has 

 been tried for catching the 

 spat is by means of Wheeler's 

 Beehive Collector (fig. 1213), 

 made of perforated earthen- 

 ware, and partly filled with 

 empty shells. Space forbids reference to the way in which the 

 mature natives are treated after they have been dredged (fig. 

 1214) and before they are finally packed in barrels for the 

 market. 



The Edible Mussel (Mytilus edulis, fig. 1215). This mollusc 

 is used to a considerable extent as human food, though there is 

 rather a prejudice against it on account of the fact that occasional 

 batches turn out to be poisonous, causing serious illness or even 

 death. That mussels are nevertheless eaten largely in England 

 may be deduced from the fact that in 1902 no less a quantity 



BYSSUS 



FOOT 



Fig. 1215. Edible Mussel (Mytilus edulis} 



