﻿ANATOMICAL 
  OUTLINE 
  SKETCH. 
  

  

  The 
  thorough 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  anatomy 
  of 
  tlie 
  adult 
  oyster 
  is 
  

   rather 
  difficult, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  difficulty 
  in 
  gaining 
  all 
  the 
  

   knowledge 
  which 
  is 
  needed 
  for 
  procuring 
  and 
  fertilizing 
  the 
  

   •eggs. 
  As 
  1 
  hope 
  that 
  a 
  way 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  to 
  turn 
  my 
  ob 
  

   servations 
  to 
  practical 
  account 
  in 
  oyster 
  culture, 
  I 
  wall 
  give 
  

   a 
  very 
  brief 
  sketch 
  of 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  — 
  such 
  a 
  

   sketch 
  as 
  will 
  enable 
  any 
  one 
  who 
  reads 
  it 
  with 
  an 
  opened 
  

   oyster 
  before 
  him 
  to 
  acquire 
  the 
  necessary 
  anatomical 
  knowl- 
  

   edge. 
  It 
  is 
  hardly 
  possible 
  to 
  write 
  such 
  a 
  description 
  with- 
  

   out 
  using 
  a 
  few 
  technical 
  terms, 
  such 
  as 
  anterior 
  and 
  posterior, 
  

   ■dorsal 
  and 
  ventral. 
  As 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  where 
  the 
  mouth 
  

   is 
  placed 
  is 
  not 
  marked 
  by 
  a 
  head, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  spoken 
  of 
  as 
  the 
  

   ■anterior' 
  end, 
  not 
  as 
  the 
  head, 
  and 
  the 
  opposite 
  end 
  as 
  the 
  

   posterior. 
  As 
  the 
  oyster 
  lies 
  on 
  one 
  side, 
  the 
  toj) 
  and 
  hottotn 
  

   of 
  its 
  body 
  do 
  not 
  correspond 
  to 
  the 
  regions 
  which 
  occupy 
  

   these 
  positions 
  in 
  an 
  upright 
  mussel 
  or 
  clam, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  most 
  

   ■convenient 
  to 
  speak 
  of 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  oyster's 
  body 
  which 
  

   answers 
  to 
  the 
  upper 
  surface 
  of 
  a 
  clam 
  as 
  dorsal 
  and 
  the 
  op- 
  

   posite 
  as 
  ventral. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  structure 
  of 
  an 
  oyster 
  may 
  be 
  roughly 
  repre- 
  

   sented 
  by 
  a 
  long 
  narrow 
  memorandum 
  book, 
  with 
  the 
  back 
  

   at 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  narrow' 
  ends 
  instead 
  of 
  at 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  long 
  ones. 
  

   The 
  covers 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  book 
  represent 
  the 
  two 
  shells 
  of 
  the 
  oys- 
  

   ter 
  and 
  the 
  back 
  represents 
  the 
  hinge, 
  or 
  the 
  area 
  where 
  the 
  

   two 
  valves 
  of 
  the 
  shell 
  are 
  fastened 
  together 
  by 
  the 
  hinge 
  

   ligament. 
  This 
  ligament 
  is 
  an 
  elastic, 
  dark 
  brown 
  structure, 
  

   which 
  is 
  placed 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  valves 
  of 
  the 
  shell 
  

   that 
  it 
  tends 
  to 
  throw 
  their 
  free 
  ends 
  a 
  little 
  apart. 
  In 
  order 
  

   to 
  understand 
  its 
  manner 
  of 
  working, 
  open 
  the 
  memorandum 
  

   book 
  and 
  place 
  between 
  its 
  leaves, 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  back, 
  a 
  small 
  

   piece 
  of 
  rubber 
  to 
  represent 
  the 
  ligament. 
  If 
  the 
  free 
  ends 
  

   or 
  the 
  cover 
  are 
  pulled 
  together 
  the 
  rubber 
  will 
  be 
  compressed 
  

   .and 
  wull 
  throw 
  the 
  covers 
  apart 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  loosened. 
  

   The 
  ligament 
  of 
  the 
  oyster-sliell 
  tends 
  by 
  its 
  elasticity 
  to 
  keep 
  

   the 
  shell 
  open 
  at 
  all 
  times, 
  aud 
  while 
  the 
  oyster 
  is 
  lying 
  un- 
  

  

  