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in a suspended position, as on the wall of the oyster pond at Budle 
Bay, they grow faster and attain a comparatively large flattened 
appearance. 
So distinct in short is the variation that with a little experience 
one can tell under what conditions the mussel lias been grown, and 
fishermen can often tell you exactly where the mussel you show 
them came from 
The sexes occur in separate animals, and they attain maturity 
at about a year old. The ripe condition is attained on the coast of 
Lancashire from May to July. Mr. King says that the lodgments 
of spat as a rule occur in August, reaches a maximum in September, 
and finishes early in October. 
In France, the mussel spat “ begins to settle on the posts in the 
end of spring and begining of summer.”" Before the spat attach 
themselves they lead a free-swimming life for a short time, and 
during this period they may be carried by currents to a distance. 
Fullarton pointed out, in reporting on the Montrose mussel beds, 
that the larvae may be lost by being carried away during heavy 
rains, or by being silted up with mud. A large number are also lost 
— lost so far as the beds are concerned — at the mouth of a river by 
being carried out to sea. It naturally follows that on suitable 
ground the greatest deposits will occur at places where the stream 
has slowed down. 
At Budle Bay, as at some other mussel farms, some difficulty 
has been experienced in encouraging the lodgment of spat. There 
are certain small spots which, if kept free from weeds, appear to 
catch spat every year, while other parts of the ground, not differing 
in appearance from these, may be barren for years. The best 
ground consists of line gravel with an admixture of clay, and having 
a gentle slope towards the side of the stream. The spat mostly 
lodges at a level where the tide runs over the ground only from two 
to four hours or even less. As we should expect, however, when a 
deposit occurs at about the two hours’ level, the “seed” grows to 
about one inch long, and then dies from want of food. At the 
four hours' level the mussel developes to about two inches, and then 
dies for the same reason, though a cluster here and there may reach 
bait size, and fill fairly well. 
We can gather from these observations that at Budle Bay, and 
many other places as well, a great quantity of larva' is swept out to 
• 1891. Fullurton. — Ninth Annual Report, Scottish Fishery Boanl. 
