The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-02-03
STORY OF AN OYSTER
TOLD BY HIMSELF ABOUT HIMSELF
AND HIS TRIBE.

The Trials and Tribulations of the
Succulent Biyalve From the Time
of Planting Until His Appearance
on the Fishmonger's Counter.
There were about 100000 of US when,
as tiny fakes of spawn-or "spat,'' as
the oyster spawn is called-we foated
out into the water enc day on "the
fats"
At first we were white and apparent
ly lifeless. Then we turned gray and
finally black At this stage we became
yisibly alive For several days we
hoated, the sport Of waves and tides.
Some Of nay brothers were carried out
to st and SO vanished; others were
swallowed by fish. At last we all be-
gan instinctirely to sink toward the
bottom.
Then began again terrible destruc-
ton. Many fell on mud-the most IA
tai thing young oyster can do. These
perished at once. Others attached
themselves to plants and weeds which
grow at the bottom Of the sea. They
lived for time-so long at least as the
plant remained alive. Then, when the
plant died, they perished as well.
Fortunately for myself, l drifted OF
to bit of "cultch''-that is to say, one
Of the old shells which the dredgers
and oyster men so carefully scatter all
over the sea floor Of an oyster bed.
settled with my deep shell uppermost
and my fiat or right shell nearer the
ground. At the time I did not know
why did this. ! have since realized
that it was because in that position l
should be more easily able to eject the
sand and grit which rough sea some
times stirs up in shallow water. I al
tached myself firmly to my anchorage
Of "cultch' and felt myself at last fair
~ started in life.
Soon I noticed that every single NOR
sci Of she'll or stone around me was
tenanted by tiny oysters, all lying in
the same position as myself and al
Nrmly anchored.
There I lay, unmo7ing, for nearly
year Food. in the shape Of tiny ami
malculn. which an oyster loves best,
was ple e1tiful. When the water was
thick with it. we all opened our shells
wide, and, making currents in the wa
ter By means of the tiny hairs which
fringe our gills and which men call our
boards, we washed the dainties into
our mouths. Our choicest delicacies
were the minute green alg9, which
give to full grown oysters that greenish
tinge that is the mark Of the aristo-
cratic native.
When I first anchofed myself, I was
but the twentieth Of an inch in diane
ter-so small, indeed, that microscope
would have been necessary to examine
me. At that stage rly she'll was per-
fectly transparent
At the end of ten months I had in,
creased in diameter to fully the size
Of dime and become what is called
"brood.'
During all this time had been learn
ing many things. found out that it
was necessary to close my she'll tight
when dangers of various kinds threat
ened. when the tide was low or, IN WIN
ter. when frost was severe. You may
perhaps imagine that an oyster is
creature OF such low organism that it
cannot see or feel much Of what is 60
inc on round about it. But you are
wrong. The mantle fringe Of an oyster
is very sensitive. II you watched US
from a boat in calm water, you would
see that the mere shadow Of the beat
crossing an oyster bed will cause those
of us upon whom it falls to close our
shells Immediately.
It was necessary to be most careful.
Dangers were many and terrible. Sea
urchins prowled among us and Ge-
voured many. But of all our foes the
worst is the five fingered starfsh. One
of nv sisters. anchored not a yard
away. fell a victim to this terror OF
the oyster beds. 1t clutched her with
its long fingers She closed her she'll
But the creature was not to be shak-
en- off. Hour after hour it clung there
until on the second day after its first
grip she. poor thing, opened her smell
TO get mouthful Of food. At once the
star6sh injected into her fluid Which
stupefed her sc that she could not
close again. Then the monster turned
itself inside out, shot itself into the
open shell and devoured her.
Then, one day year after l hao
tloated as "spat.'' came q startling
change in my existence. Something
huge and heavy came out of the shad-
CIV of boat above and approached.
rasping and grating along the bottom.
1t was great triangular .dredge. OF
wrought iron At the bottom was
fiat bar with q blunt edge. known TO
the dredgers as the "bit.''
AS the "bit'' approached it scraped
the bottom of the sea clean, and next
instant I. too found myself lifted ana
dropped into the net, together with
hundreds like myself and miscel-