The Russellville Democrat., 1881-09-29
The Anatomy Of an Oyster.
Baltimore GnIrttc.

Every oyster has mouth, heart. & liver, a stomach, Cunnjngly devised in testines, and other necessary organs. just as all living, moving, and intelligent creatures have. And all these things are covered from mans rudely inquisi- tive gaze by a mantle Of peariy gauge. whose wool and warp put to shame the frost lace on your windows in winter The mouth is at the smaller end of the oyster. adjoining the hinge. It is of oval shape, and, though not readily seen by au unpraeticed eye. it's location and size can be easily discovered by gently gash- ing 8 blunt bodkin or similar instrument along the surface of the locality men tien"d. When the spot is found your bodkin can be thrust between the deli cate lips and a considerable distance down towards the stomach without causing the oyster to yell with pain From this mouth is, of course, q sort of canal to convey the food to the stomach whence 1t passes into the inteSliues. With au exceedingly delicate and sharp knife you can take of the mantle ot the oyster. when there will be disclosed to you 6 half moon shaped space just above the muscle, or so-called hear" /" This space is the oysters pericordium, and within it is the real heart, the pulsa- tions of which are readily seen. This heart is made mp of two parts, just as the human heart is, one of which receives the blood from the gills through a net work of blood vessels, and the other drives the blood out through arteries In this important matter the oyster differs in no respect from ether warm CT cold blOoded animals And no one need laugh incredulously at the assertion tha. oysters have blood. IL is not ruddy. ac cording to the accepted notion about blood, but il is nevertheless blood to all oyster intents and purposes. In the same vicinity, and in maryelously proper positions, will be found all the other or gans named. But il is very proper to be IncredUlous about that mouth and or gans. At first glance il would seem that they are utterly useless. for the mouth cannot snap around for food. and the oyster has no arms wherewith 10 grab its dinner or lunch. True, apparently, but only apparently, for each oyster has more than 8 thousand arms-tiny, delicate, almost invisible And each one of them is necessarily at work gathering up food and gently pushing it into the lazy mouth of the indolent comfortable creature, The gills are the thin flaps So notably perceptible around the front face part 0f the uHdreSSed oyster. below the muscle. Each of these gills is covered with minute hairllke arms, very close to- gether, and perpetually in motion to and
 TO in the same unwearied direction. They catch food from the water. strain it carefully Of improper substances, and waft iJ upward over the maEtle's smooth surface to the gaping mouth, which pla- cidly eObbles # up until hunger is ap- peased. and then iha body goes 10 sleep without turning over Any one can ob serve this singular process Of feeding by placing a minute quantity of some harm less coloring matter on the giis. If il will not offend the oysters delicate pal ate the col0ring matter will be seen at once propelled by invisible hands to- wards the mouth. and thence slowly down into the stomach. And this is all l know about oyster anatomy, except lEa. the liver almost entirely surrounds the stomach and is ofa dark green color. l. may be new Co many 10 know thGt oysters are born precisely the same way the sGad and other fish come into the EoTld. well educated lady oyster will lay about l25.0o0.00 eggs-so it is said; have not counted enough of thesi 10 strike such large aversge-aE every one of these eggs will ultimately become tt for stew or ny il they escs0e the mul- titGd of perils that do environ the infant oyster.