236 



Part III. — Twenty -fifth Annual Report 



July, like grains of millet seed, measuring from ^ to -f T inch in length. 

 Young mussels have been noticed on the ropes of the salmon nets about 

 the middle of June. 



The young mussels seem to settle high up in greater profusion than 

 in the deep. On a wharf the upper limit of the mussels was between 

 tide-marks, but several feet below high-water mark. Barnacles (Balanus) 

 settle high up. A curious circumstance was noted with respect to 

 the attachment of barnacles (Balanus) in a slate tank. The inflowing 

 water was taken down to the bottom of the tank by means of a rubber 

 pipe. The water leaving the mouth of this pipe impinged at once on 

 one of the sides, and here an area of about 6 by 2 inches was covered by 

 barnacles, but nowhere else on the tank, which was 5ft. by 2ft. 6ins. 

 broad, was any barnacles attached. It would seem as if the impinging 

 against the hard surface helped the barnacle to become attached. 



Wilson found on the ropes of the salmon nets mussels measuring 

 from T l g to -f^ inch in length. The largest were got near the surface, 

 and the smallest near the bottom. They were at most five months old. 

 M'Intosh observed mussels up to g inch in length on the buoys of the 

 salmon nets ; the buoys are in the water from February to the end of 

 August. 



At Montrose, Fullarton and Scott say that the bulk of the spat is 

 carried out to sea by the quickly-running tide. Dredging the navigable 

 channel destroyed seed and prevented it settling. 



In the experiment of laying down mussels in Coquet, Meek found 

 that the mussels grew there to a good bait size and were well rilled. 

 The unfavourable circumstances in that locality were (1) the mud which 

 comes down the river during a fresh flow, and (2) the dredging of the 

 harbour, which would interfere with the lodgment of spat. M'Intosh, 

 however, observed in the Tees " that immediately (100 yards) behind the 

 dredger, and directly in its track, young mussels from ^ inch to ^ inch 

 long, with dull yellowish or pale olive valves, occurred on 11th June. 

 These small examples attach themselves to fragments of stone broken by 

 the dredger, or to stratified clay, so that the fresh surface left after the 

 operations of the steam dredger is soon covered with mussels." 



The Mussel Bed. — According to Calderwood — "The mussel will 

 grow on almost any natural sea or estuarine bottom, but the rich flats 

 where sand and gravel are covered by mud charged with diatoms, infuso- 

 ria, spores of algae, and other vegetable matter rear, large fat mussels most 

 quickly. . . . Mussels grow well in some places where they are 

 covered at low water by 10 to 15 feet of water, and in the beds of estuaries 

 where they are never uncovered. . . . The favourite position of the 

 mussel may be said to be between the low-levels of spring and neap tides. 



. In Holland the Government beds are usually laid down where 

 the water has a depth of from 7 to 15 feet at low tide. The mussels grow 

 commonly to a length of 2 or 2\ inches. They are, therefore, of excellent 

 quality. . . . Beds should be protected as far as possible from the 

 deposition of silt. This evil, if present, can only be remedied by trans- 

 planting the mussels from the high bed, and causing the available 

 currents to scour and wash down the deposit." 



The Budle Bay mussel is, Mr, King states, much broader than the 

 Boston mussel, which is inclined to be round and plump. 



According to Lebour, " the mud and sand brought down by floods and 

 currents during storms are hurtful, as they frequently choke up and kill 

 large patches of mussels." In the river Blyth many of the mussels are 

 " burrowing in the mud generally so deep that only the smallest part of 

 posterior end of the shell is visible." In the river Aln " many of the 



