254 LITTLE FOLKS 
There is a legend about it which may be true — it's old enough 
to be so — and I will tell it to you. Once upon a time, a man walk- 
ing on the sea shore saw an ugly looking object which he carelessly 
kicked away. The Oyster — for it was one of that family — prob- 
ably astonished at such rough treatment, imprudently opened its 
shell, perhaps to see who its enemy was. 
Seeing the cream colors of the inside, the discoverer thought 
he would examine it, and he took it up to do so. The Oyster — 
kisulted — slammed the door in his face, catching the man's finger 
in his haste As soon as he could get it out, he naturally put his 
smarting finger to his mouth, when lo ! he was delighted with the 
taste. He at once proceeded to break open the shell, and taste 
cautiously. The result satisfied him ; he ate the whole. It is fair 
to presume that he told somebody. 
All great men have liked Oysters ; and all small men, too, I 
fancy, only there is not so much said about them. It is said that 
Paris alone, uses one million Oysters a day. 
Not only Oysters are cultivated, but Mussels, w^hich you know 
are something like Oysters. I want to tell you a story about this 
picture on next page, and how one man started a great industry in 
France more than six hundred years ago. 
He was an Irishman by the name of Walton, and he was 
wrecked in the Bay of Aiguillon, and lost everything he had, of 
course. 
Trying to support himself, he turned his attention to hunting 
sea fowl which abounded there, and he made a net in which they 
became entangled. This net was fastened to posts which he drove 
down in the mud. 
But the bay was one sea of mud, and it was nearly impossible 
for him to get about with a boat, so he went to work to get up what 
you might call a mud boat. It was like the one in the picture. It 
was about three yards long, and one yard wide. The sailor of this 
droll boat had to kneel on one knee, as you see in the picture, with 
one hand on each edge of the boat, and his left leg hanging outside. 
To get on, he gave a great shove with his left foot, and slid for- 
ward a few feet. In this way he could get around the bay to see 
to his nets. 
But he now began to notice the Mussels, which were very 
abundant there. He saw that they attached themselves to the 
posts which held his nets, and that th?y preferred to get a little 
