The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1892-06-16
SUBMARINE snKWORMs.
Mollusks Which Weave Wondor-
ftl Threads of SILK.
An Interesting Chapter on the Habits and
Uses Of Strange Submarine Crea-
turcs - Queer Methods Of
Propagnting Mussels.

"The musSel may well be called the
spinner OF the sea-" said a concho,ogist
to Washington Star writer 'lt
makes and weaves It's sillxen threads
very much as the spider docs An i'm
portant part Of It's anatomy Is
slender and very muscular foot Of
triangular shape. under and be-
hind which is gland that sccretes a
viscid and half-liquid fluid. This fluid
runs into groove in the foot, where 1t
quickly sets and becomes firm thread.
The thread is pulled out by the with.
drawing of the foot, another thread Is
formed, and SO on until the rnussel has
tied itself securely by ever SO many
strong cords.
ut is very interesting to see how the
mussel manages TO climb up the perpen.
dicular sides of rocks or piles by means
of these threads. which are stretched
out and attached by Tic foot, one after
another, in the direction in which the
animal wishes to climb, each one being
fastened little higher up than the last
Thus the heavy shell is drawn up grad
ually in much the same manner rs that
employed by some spiders when sus.
pending an unusually large victim You
would hardly imagine that 60 small
creature could be helpful servant TO
maa. and yet the spinning and weaving
Of this humble mollv.sk have been
turned to most valuable account At
the town of Bideford, In Devonshire, is
long bridge Of twenty-four arches.
crossing the Torridge river. The tides
flow with such swiftness at this bridge
that no mortar will hold the masonry
of the arches Isut the corporation Of
the town keeps boats for the purpose Of
bringing musseis from distance, which
are applied TO every interstice of the
stone work The masonry is entirely
supported and held together by the
strong threads these bivalves spin. and
the law makes 1t crime, punishable
by transportation. 70 remove any OF
them.
Having spent the first few days of
their existence as free-swimming ami
mails, after being hatched from the
eggs, mussels usually fasten themselves
together and to common object. so as
TO form large clusters. Thus, by means
of u multiplied system of ropes. they
secure so firm an anchorage us TO be
able to resist the most violent stormsi
However, they can let 60 when they
want to, and creep about until they find
better resting place. Their closely.
knitted colonies do much to prevent
wear and tear by the waves on certain
portions Of the sea coast Like oysters
they entertain small parasitic crabs.
which make their homes in the shells Of
the living molluslss. These little crusta-
cean boartlers are of different species
from the oyster crabs Young seals de-
pend largely for food upon the big arc
tic mussels. which are plentiful as far
north as Point Barrow, in the Arctic
ocean. On the coast Of Alaska and aa
far south as Puget sound mussels con-
stitute the only molluscan supply. there
being no oysters and very few CLANS in
that region. and the native women and
children are constantly gathering them
'Thc Alaskan method Of cooking
mussels Is TO boil them. A bunch OF
ten, twenty, or perhaps forty pounds
weight Is put into pot nnd when the
shells cape the water Is poured of. the
people gathering around and picking
out the meat with their fingers Some
times the bivalves arc roasted also.
They are very little priced as an article
Of diet on the Atlantic coast. partly be-
cause such q wealth OF oysters and
CLANS Is at hand, but the aboriginal In.
dians were very fond of them and con.
sumed them In great quantities. as Ia
| proved by tho mounds OF shells compos-
ing the debris Of ancient feasts. which
remain to this day. The Delawares. and
doubtless other tribes, employed mussel
shells. the edges Of which were sharp
ened on the gritty rock. for pinccrs u
| pull out their boards with.
"Mussels arc much used abroad a
food. They are bred In France in In.
| closures Of sea water. frames and hang
ing ropes being submerged for them "a
attach themselves TO- Al intervals
these ropes or frames are hauled up and
made TO yield their crop. For the same
i purpose PARKS a. they are called. are
planted In the shadows OF the North
SEA- Trees. from which oil but the
larger branches have been eut. are
stuck into the bottom at such q distance
from shore that the up2er portions Of
| them shall be laid bare al lower water
After four or ave years they are raised
stripped and replaced with otherA In
the bay Of Keil. Germany, one Thousand
tons Of mussels are raised IN similai
fashion yearly. Mussels ore propagated
In the Adriatic on ropes extended be-
tween poles rsmmed into the ground
Tho ropes are stripped once in eigh,
monthA The mussei beds of Grea,
| Britain ere worth hundreds OF thou.
sands OF dollars annually
"The mollusk. which has been poetic.
ally called the 'sil<worm Of the sea- d
mussel Of the Mediterranean. known
TO science as the pima II spins a kind
| of thread 90 beautiful and fne that In
Sicily the material 10 woven into gloves
and stockings These articles are very
costly. and have not been thought I'M