Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-09-05
OYSTERS OUT OF WATER.
How Long the Bivalves will Live If
Properly Kept.


In recent bulletin Of the United States Fish
| Commission is published the following state
ment by Prof. A. E. Verrill, Of New Haven,
Conn.,:
my attention was recently called by Capt C..
III. Townsend to large cluster Of oysters at
tached to an old boot which had been hanging
in the front windows of the fish market OF
Charles Reed, in this city, for a long time. This
cluster was taken from the water in the early
part of December, 1884 about the 10th. it is
said, and when / examined it on February rs
several of the larger oysters were still alive 1
am told that they continued to live for some
days afterwards. The larger ones which were
still alive were OF about the size ordinarily sold
in the market. Most of the smaller ones were
dead, and many of the larger ones, of which
the edges had been broken or chipped. We're
dead and dried UP when I saw them Those
that were alive had all been hung up with the
upward. They had been hanging in the show
window. attached to q gasburner during the
whole time (over ten weeks, freely exposed TO
the air and light. The room was of course
rather cool as such shops usually are in winter
and the window space. although open freely to
the shop. was doubtless still cooler especially at
night, but the air must have been dry and the
temperature quite variable. The window faces
to the west and would have direct sunlight in
the afternoon. The remarkable duration of the
LIE OF these oysters is undoubtedly due to two
causes:
L, The perfect condition Of the edges of the
shells. which allowed them to close up very
tightly.
,. The position. suspended as they were, with
the front edge downward, Is the most favora-
ble position possible for the retention OF water
within The gill-cavity, for in this position the
edges of the mantle would closely pack against
the inner edges of the shell, effectually closing
any small leaks, and the retained water would
also be III the most favorable position to
in9isten the gilis, even after part had evapora-
ted 1t is also possible that when in this posi-
ton the oyster instinetively keeps the she'll
lightly closed, TO prevent the loss OF water.
his incident may give hint as to the best
transporting long
distances. Perfect shells should be selected,
and they should be packed with the front edge
downward and kept moderately cool, in crate
or some such receptacle which will allow a free
circulation of air. Under such favorable con-
from eight TO twelve weeks out of water. Prob
ably the quahaug, Or round clam, which has a
very tightly closing SHE'LL when perfect, can be
Kept equally long in the same way
TO this MIR. John A. Ryder adds note in
which he says: 81 have had oyster, live in the
ranged from $50 to 400 F. at night to over 500 F.
in the day, lying on shelves in the cases in my
work room, exposed the whole time to the air,
compose, every specimen containing and hold
ing liquid in its mantle cavity. The position of
the shells did not notice. This was about two
years since, and the facts did not then seem to
me to have any practical bearing, they now
appear to, as suggested by Prof. Verrill. A
striking observation which made at that time
and which recorded, L believe in the sketch
OF the life history of the oyster prepared under
my direction for the annual report of the geo.
logical survey, was the following: The speci-
men which served me my model from
which To sketch the external anatomy OF the
soft parts. published in that report and also in
the fishery report of the census, laid open for
twenty-four hours, with one valve removed and
the soft parts exposed to the air, for the whole
time, and yet at the end of that time, when
the ventrlcle was touched, it began to slowly
pulsate and did SO under this stimulus a num-
Der of times. This instance of tenacty of life
on the part of "a mutilated bivalve is pretty
hard To excel for incredibility: in fact had not
witnessed the facts above stated, / would
have been disinclined to accept them as a state
ment of the TRUTH