Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-04-26

Master Harryp or, "Here comes a canoe
don't she dip (Which Harry interpreted
as meaning to ily) ober de wata'?''
Harry did not heed the keen and biting
winter wind, so profoundly interested
had he become in the scenes about him,
which changed With Kaleidoscope quick
ness, and once, in his eagerness to get a
better view of q passing boat. he was
about to cline up on the top of the cabin,
when the warning voice of Moses checked
him.
DE boom's soin' TO shift, Master Harry
dip your head
And the warning came none too soon,
for the great boom, with rush and n
clatter Of ropes and chains and tapping
OF sail, swung over the larboard or felt
hand side of the vessel.
This incident led Harry to be more eau
tious in his movements about tho vessel,
and he quickly resumed his position in
the cabin door.
1t had been Captain Covington's inten.
ton to proceed directly TO the oyster
grounds but the wind had increased to a
gsle-indeed tho schooner was scudding
along under bare poles, for the sails had
been lowered-so he abandoned his orig
inal purpose, and came to an anchor.
/ "Now, Harry" he remarked, as he
came into the cabin and deposited two
oysters on the table, "the indications are
that we shall have to lay to- until to-inor-
row morning, and in the meantime, in
order to make the time pass pleasantly,
suppose I tell you something about the
habits and anatomy of the oyster
lf Horru ooS,oontaI 10 1ipgnn O.,
his uncle's explanations.
well, what do you call those on The
table,"
"They are oySters,' promptly replied
Harry.
That is true; but after you have eaten
an oyster, there your interest ends.
am now going to tell you what they are;
but | will commence with their birth"
/ "The shell of one of these is long and
narrow, and the other is oval shaped"
What is the cause of that?" said Harry.
"The defermed or long, narrow shell
is caused by over, crowding on the beds
that is, they lie too close to each other
Tho other has its natural shape because
there was nsthing to interfere with its
proper developement
[ when are the young oysters born?"
THE oysters spawns-that is, lay its
eggs-in June and July. and mother
oyster, it is said, produces one million
| five hundred thousand young ones. The
eggcs arc hatched inside the shell, and
can no seen swimming about in creamy
| looking fluid which surrounds the gills,
which becomes black when they are about
! to leave their mother. At this timo the
young oyster is 1-120th of an inch long,
and two millions can be packed in the
space Of cubic inch. The young arc
called spat
"At spawning time, the oyster is pale
and milky. or sick as it is known in
oyster parlance. A whitish fluid cxudes
from the shell. containing the little oysters.
and the tiny, lively atoms Of life 60 float
| ing about at will. These little globules
are fringed with hair-like appendages,
known as ella, which are in constant and
violent agitation, serving rs temporary
organs of locomoton.
"ln appearance, this spat resembles the
| jelly fish, being, however, of q whittier
hue, and of moro delicate and fragile
construction. 1t is subjected to q multi
tude of perils. 1t is relentessly pursued
by fish and other marine enimies, who
devour it; adverse winds carry it upon the
beach, where it becomes stranded. and
dries up in tho sun, and is useless; it be
comes torn and separated by roots, and
floats away in small particles, and in this
way it is estimated that fully nino.tenths
of these lively, vigorous. promising
little oysters which started out n million
strong have been destroyed.
"When they settle down, it is upon
hard bottom, clinging tenaciously to shells,
sticks and other hard substances, and hero
they develop into the oyster which you
see before you--provided the star-fsh and
Misunderstanding periwinkle, two of its
most dangerous enemies, do not find it
out.
"'rhc periwnhlc, with its turbinatcd
or drill like shells, patiently drills away
at the fragile coating Of the young oyster
until it gets at the meat, when ii licks it
out with its long tongue.
"In fifteen days the oyster is US large
as a pea ut one month, the size of ten
cent piece; at three months, they have
grown.to the size Of quarter of a dollar;
at six months the size of halfdollar;
at fourteen months, u trille larger than u
silver dollar An oyster, TO he markota-
bic should hc two years Sold."
"Iow old do You think this one i>?'
interrupted Harry.
From its size should Judge it to be
over two years old"
"Wonderful!" said Harry.
And still more wonderful is the fact
that it has Il mouth, Il heart, 4 liver and q
stomach
"Why, unclo!" said Harry, in sur
prise.
at is true. Now let me proceed: The
shell consists OF two irregular-shapcd
valves of coarse structure. joined togeth'
er at the hinge or small end by liga-
ment of white, solid substance, Fhdden in
the cavity OF each valve. The mouth of
the oyster is not as you think, at the nib
or broad end of the shell, but at the hinge
or small end, where | have ust shown
you it is joined together. Now, remove
one valve, exposing the oyster to your
view. will carefully remove the peri.
cGrdiuD', or the delicate, gauze-like man.
tie which envclops the oyster, with my
knife"
Harry watched the operation with
mixed interest and astonishment.
"Thcre, that is safely accomplished"
remarked the captain, as he put down the
knife, with an air of tsatisiaction. Now
look and tell me what you see."
Harry gazed long and earnestly upon
the oyster. Presently he exclaimed:
''Oh, uncle, sec something movingr'
eyes; that is the actual pulsstIon of its
heart. 1t is divided into two parts. like
the human hcart-one part of which re.
ccives the vital fluid, not tho ruddy sub.
stances which fows through the human
body, but blood,to all intents,t the oyster,
from the gills, through tiny, hidden veins,
and the other part forces it out through
what arc known as arteries. This green
looking substance near tho hinge is the
liver, Now, what is this?" pointing TO the
hard substance in the middle.
1.-The eye," said Harry.
"Ah, l anticipated such All answer"
said the captain. THAT Is called the
adductor muscle, and is capable Of rapid
expansion or contraction. You will no.
tice that it adheros to tho pearly part Of
each valve.
"When in tho water, tho expansion of
thta ,annola o,1nna tha Y,;h IDrnol ,.ovt