MUSCLE. 
577 
threads from its body, with which, as with a cable, 
it fixes itself to the stone or rock, and thus resists 
all the agitations of the water. These threads are 
called the beard of the muscle, and are a very cu- 
rious appendage to the animal, which, secured in 
this manner, finds a ready subsistence in the little 
particles of animal matter, and the small marine 
insects which the sea washes into its shell. 
Muscles are considered as delicate food, and are 
very commonly eaten, but not always with impu- 
nity. Some constitutions seem to be much affected 
by these shell-fish, and many people are said to be 
poisoned by them. It is difficult to account for this, 
as some persons will be seized with very unpleasant 
symptoms, such as swellings, shortness of breath, 
and even convulsions ; while others, who have been 
eating from the same dish, will escape unhurt. As 
the mind, upon these occasions, is always active to 
discover a cause, and will rather put up with a 
doubtful one than have none at all, the poor little 
pea-crab has been fixed upon as the author of the 
mischief, though he is perfectly harmless, and only 
now and then craves an asylum within the gaping 
shells of the muscle. The best remedy to remove 
the bad effects arising from these fish, is an emetic 
taken immediately, and, after its operation, a dose 
of castor oil. 
2 P 
VOL. 11. 
