Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1878-03-09
/" Natural History of the Oyster. !"

Rev. Dr. J. G.. Morris lectured on "T'ho
Natural History Of tho Oyster +" at the Second
English Iuthern Church 10 Baltimore, recent
". before large audience. The subject had
been chosen COR him, hut there could not be
more luscious or juicy one, nor one more full OF
interest. a great deal has been sail. written
and nract.ced about it-there was Indeed \
vas, oyster practice 10 Baltimore every day
but most people know little OF the life and
habits Of the oyster. II was ou. Of the way
Of ordinary lecture subjects OF the prescrt
day. most Of which were rs dry as punk
There were culi Us aud laughable things about
m oyster. but there was much more than tha,
10 the subject. There was its immense hnsn-
cal importance in a mercantile view. Thous-
ands Of men, women and children wete given
employment hese in the oyster trade WHO
would otherwise have no work 10 the winter
season. There were S4.O00.0OO invested in it
in New York city. aud probably great deal
more than that in Maryland
The oyster was we'll known q The sneents
thousands o! years ego, though !, is not ppu-
toned IN the Bible, unless under the general
clasers Of she'll fish aud mollusks, but the pro-
fame writers are loud in their praises. No
Here in MARYLAND there is full evidence OF their
antiquity. Vast beds Of shells ten feet thick
are found a, erea, distances from the shores OF
the bay, showing tha, tue Inhabitants in old
times had carried the bivalves away to feast
on them. The heaps were now covered with
other soil.
IL is not known who was the frs. man 90
cot an oyster, but he was n very brave man TO
put such looking animal In bis mouth aud
swallow 1t without knowing whether Il VAS
good 70 eat or not. Tradition has Il that long
and long ago a man walking By tho bay shore
saw curious, ugly object, half covered 10 Tho
weeds. He gave It kick, when Che oyster
opened It's mouth and he saw the white pcarly
object within. The man pried curiously Of Il
and put q finger n the she'll, which was in-
stan,ly clamped down. Jerking out bis finger
he placed Il ia his mouth 10 ease the palm
Getting taste Of the juice he found it good,
and breaking open the she'll he ate the whols
oyster This discovereT told his friends, and
oysters quickly became known as delicacies.
Everybody cats oysters. To a few the taste
is not natural, but the appetite is soon trained,
and these become the greatest eaters Of it,
Men Of old days ale oysters all day long, and
il was true now that men could eat just as
many raw ones as they could 6nd room for In
the capacity of-well. call il what you choose.
Cooked oysters would surfeit. The raw oyster
was SO easily digestibe. because il was firstly
composed Of sovcu-eig,hs water, slightly gela-
tinized. aud q small quantity Of nutriiiye mat
ter secondly, It's liver, the block part OF the
oyster, was larger in proportion than 10 mao.
and secreted great Deal Of bile This, with
the fluids Of the stomach, make tao factors Of
digestion. and the oyster purity digests iisoif.
The oyster is one Of The few animals eaton
alive. for il Is not exactly killed when swsl-
lowed, unless you cut 10 n peices first. Its
natural history commences with the bhsll.
which is no part OF the animal at oil, but only
a house. It's composed Of carbonate Of limo.
The two black marks inside are where the sd-
strictof muscle adhered 20 it. This muscle 10
called tbe heart but IL Is not the heart at ALL
Il keeps the she'll shut, and whom it relaxes
the shell opens Of itself from the preassuro Of
the animal inside. The oyeter matches It's eggs
inside the shell, and there is no male or female
s.x-egery oyster being capable Of producing
young. One oyster will produce 100000
young o, O time. They are about tbs sile Of
q pin head, and float around until o small ten
tacle, with which they are provided. ndhores
10 come substance under the water. There
the oyster lives and dies for il has no power
OF locomotion at all.
At three years old they arc edible, hut arc
better at four and over Inside the body Is
covered with thin white mautle This las
the power 10 assimiate carbonate Of lime from
the sea water, which il depositcs 10 layers.
forming the she'll The lecturer gave an inter
osting account Of the inner structure OF tho
oyster, and Of lis manner Of taking food. which
consists Of the smallest anima!culc Pearls
were gravel or some other foreign substance
which had gotten into the she'll aud were cover
ed by tho auitnal with calcarious matter.
The oyster has lungs, Heart, liver. blood,
which is white not red, nerves and stomach,
but no brain and no eyes. It's enemies were,
after man, the bofer, The drum fsb, and tho
star fish These destroy great numbers. II
allowed to produce rnmcicstcd they would
soon flI the Chesapeake bay and drive sll tho
water out. The manner Of taking oysters both
By dredges and tongs, was described. The
oyster crab vas not baby crab, but a distinct
animal lie did not believe that oysters wsrc
capable Of feeling pain. They had no voloo
aud made no fuss, though they often get into