The Oyster. 77 



quite a host of them, no doubt magnificently 

 dressed, if we could but see them to advantage, and 

 well instructed in the several duties which they have 

 to perform. Oh yes, certainly, as the Irish poet has 



" Of all the Conchiferous shell-fish, 

 The Oyster is surely the King." 



Shall we continue the quotation ? and say 



" Arrah Mick, call the people who sell fish, 

 And tell them a dozen to bring ; 

 For it's I that intend to demonstrate, 

 The creature's phenomena strange, 

 Its functions to set every one straight, 

 And exhibit their structure and range." 



Scarcely will our limited space permit us to do 

 this, but a few of the most remarkable particulars 

 about this common Acephalan, we feel called upon 

 to set before our readers. 



First, then, it belongs to the class Conchifera. 

 This is a word which we must stop to examine a 

 little ; it seems to come from the Latin concha, 

 which means a shell-fish with two shells — in other 

 words, a bivalve mollusk. Second, our Oyster be- 

 longs to the class Pectinidce. Now pecten is the 

 Latin for a comb, and this class includes those 



6 



