SHORES OF THE CLYDE AND FIRTH. 
33 
CHAPTEE IV. 
THE FISHING IMPLEMENTS OF THE MYTILIS 
AND MUSSELS. 
T\HE Mytilis, as already mentioned, is an extremely shy 
— creature. It takes months of confinement in a tank 
to familiarise it to the surrounding objects, and if it does 
venture to open up its valves, so timid is it that a passing 
shadow flitting across the glass is sufficient to cause it to 
clap up as quickly against the supposed danger ; by and by, 
however, it gains more confidence, and opens up to view its 
wonderful interior, but cautious and smooth movements 
must be observed to procure the view for any length of time. 
Like its lesser brother, the mussel, it feeds upon the 
little animals or animal matter the water contains, and the 
organs of both being somewhat similar, the feeding move- 
ments are identical, and a most interesting sight to see. 
Here is a clump of mussels close to the glass of our tank, 
with a mytilis on the left. The mussels seem to be 
completely closed and motionless, but the mytilis shows a 
very slight opening of the valves. Before we apply the 
lens, let us stir up the water, and set the particles in the 
tank in motion. As soon as the agitation of the water has 
subsided, our eyes are cast upon the clump of mussels, and 
we observe that as the particles descend near the bottom, in 
front of one little fellow they take a gentle curve inward, 
then with a sweep they dash into the lower front of the 
valves and are lost to view. Those again descending and 
approaching a particular spot on the top edge, about a 
third of the shell's length from the front, we see are quickly 
shot upwards, and rising like sparks flying from the blowing 
of a smith's fire. 
