M U S 
M U S 
both in deep water and above low-water mark, 
prove a lufcious, but noxious food, to many con- 
ftitutions. Perfons who eat Mufcles have fome- 
times been affe<5led with eryfipelatous inflamma- 
tions, cutaneous eruptions, and intolerable itch- 
ings ail over their bodies, accompanied by great 
reftleflhefs and agitation; and though thefe com- 
plaints have feldom proved mortal, and are eafily 
removed by oil, milk, and emetics; yet they have 
an alarming afpe(5t, and fubjeft the parties to 
grievous pains. Some authors have pretended, 
that thefe noxious effefts never take place but 
between the vernal and autumnal equinox : and 
M. Beunie, a phyfician at Antwerp, in a me- 
moir on this fubjedl, feeras inclined to adopt the 
above opinion; for he recommends abftinence 
from Mufcles during the months of May, June, 
July, and Auguft. Thefe noxious qualities in 
the Mufcle, according to this author, are entirely 
accidental. They are occafioned, fays he, by a 
kind of ftella marina, a little fea-infeft, pretty 
common about the mouths of fome rivers, which 
fometimes lodges itfelf in the Mufcle when in 
queft of food ; and whofe fpawn is fo cauftic and 
inflammatory, that, when externally applied to the 
fkin, it produces itchings and tumefaftions, both 
painful and difagreeable to a high degree. The 
itching occafioned by touching the fpawn of the 
ftella marina is removed by vinegar; and this 
known fa6l induced M. Beunie to prefcribe the 
external ufe of vinegar after phlebotomy, evacua- 
tions, and emetics. This method of pradlice, 
however, feems rather to confirm the opinion of 
thofe who afcribe the diforder in quefl;ion to an 
unperceived commencement of putrefaftion in 
the Mufcle; vinegar being univerfally known to 
be a moft powerful antifccptic, and no fpecies of 
putrefAffion being more noxious and ofFenfive 
than that of fifh. 
The common Sea-Mufcle, from the circum- 
ftance of it's having always been found attached 
to rocks, has been fuppofed by many to be wholly 
incapable of progreflive motion. But this opi- 
nion is erroneous; for when Mufcles have been 
thrown into a pit full of water, they have always 
been found, in a fhort time, colledled into one 
heap : a plain proof that they are pofleffed of loco- 
motive powers. Indeed, their progreflive mo- 
tion is wholly performed by means of that mem- 
ber which, from it's (hape, is ufually called the 
tongue of the Mufcle; but, from it's ufe in this 
cafe, appears rather to merit the appellation of a 
leg or arm, as, by laying hold of any diftant ob- 
jeft, and then forcibly contra6ling itfelf again, 
it draws along the whole body of the fifh : the fame 
part, when it has moved the animal to a proper 
place, ferves alfo to fix it there, being the organ 
by which it fpins the thread commonly termed it's 
beard, and by which it affixes itfelf to rocks or 
other objects. Mufcles have long been known 
to pofTefs the faculty of attaching themfelves very 
firmly either to ftones, or to the fhells of each 
other; but the means whereby this is performed 
were not properly underfliood till the obfervations 
of the accurate Reaumur ferved to explain them. 
It is evident to every perfon who opens a com- 
mon Mufcle, that in the middle of the fifh there 
is placed a little blackifh or brownifh body re- 
fembling a tongue: this, in large Mufcles, is 
nearly half an inch long, and about the fixth of 
an inch broad, being narrower at the origin than 
St the extremity. From the root of this tongue a 
great number of threads are produced, which, 
when fixed to any folid fubftancc, hold the Mufcle 
firmly in it's place: thefe threads are ufually from 
one to two inches in length; and, in tliicknefs, 
from that of a hair to a hog's brifl:le. They iflTue 
out of the fhell in that part where it naturally 
opens, and fix themfelves to any thing that lies in 
their way; to ftones; fragments of fiiells; or, 
which is mofl: common, to the lliells of other 
Mufcles. 
Thefe threads being expanded on each fide, 
fometimes to the number of one hundred and fifty 
from one fhell, ierve the purpofe of fo many ca- 
bles; and each pulling in it's proper direction, 
they keep the Mufcle fixed againft any force that 
can be offered. The filaments now under con- 
fideration, are generally known by the name of 
beards; and Reaumur difcovered, th.at if they 
are torn away by any accident, while the animal 
is living in the fea, it has a power of fubftituting 
others in their rooiri. He alfo found, that if a 
quantity of Mufcles were detached from each 
other, put into a vcflel of any fort, and plunged 
into the fea, they would in a fliort time affix 
themfelves both to the fides of their prifon and 
to each other's fljclls; the extremity of rhefe 
threads ferving, after the manner of a hand, to 
feize on any thing that the animal is defirous of 
reaching; and the other part, which is more 
flender and fmall, to perform the office of an 
arm in conducing it. 
In order to invefl:igate the manner by which 
the Mufcle performed this operation, our inge- 
nious naturalift put fome of thefe animals in'to a 
veflfel ; and having covered them with fea-water, 
he obferved that they foon began to open their 
fhells, and each to protrude that little body re- 
fembling a tongue, at the root of which thefe 
threads grow : this part they extended and Ihort- 
ened feveral times, and thrufl: it out in every di- 
reftion, trying with it before and behind, and 
on every fide, what were the moft proper places 
on which to fix their threads. At the end of 
thefe experiments, they fuffered it to remain fixed 
for fome time on the fpot which they chofe for 
that purpofe; and then drawing it back into the 
fhell with great agility, it was eafy to perceive 
that they were fafl:ened by one of thofe threads to 
that fpot which it had before touched, and re- 
mained fixed for fome minutes. In repeating 
this procedure, the threads were encreafed in 
number; and being fixed in different places, 
they fuftained the fifh at reft againft any common 
force. 
Thefe feveral threads were found to be very 
different from each other; the new- formed ones 
being more gloffy, white, and tranfparent, than 
the reft: and it appeared, on a clofe examina- 
tion, that it was not, as might have been moft 
naturally fuppofed, the office of the tongue to 
convey the old threads, one by one, to the places 
where they were to be attached ; but that thefe 
in reality were become abioluteiy ufelefs; and 
that every thread was new-formed for the occa- 
fion. However, in order to be afcertained of 
this, Reaumur cut off all the old threads or beards 
of a Mufcle, as clofely as poffible, without in- 
juring the part; and a proof of the ppinion re- 
fpedling their fpining new ones at pleafure was 
brought to this eafy trial, Whether thefe Muf- 
cles, fo deprived of their old ones, could fix 
themfelves as foon as others which had fuffered 
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