Evening journal., 1904-02-05
STORY OF AN OYSTER
TOLD BY HIMSELF ABOUT HIMSELF
AND HIS TRIBE.
The Trials and TrfbuIatfons of the
suecuIent Bivalve From the Time
of Planting Untn His Appearance
ON the FishmonEer's Coaurer.


ON the FishmonEer's Couurer.
There were about 600 900 Of us when,
as tiny fakes of spawn-or "spat," as
the oyster spawn is called-we fioated
out into the water one day on "the
flats"
At first we were white and apparent
" lifeless. Then we turned gray and
finally black. At this stage we became
visibly alive. For several days we
fioated, the sport OF waves and tides.
Some Of my brothers were carried out
to sea and so vanished; others were
swallowed by fish. At last we all be-
gan instinctively to sink toward the
bottom.
Then began again terrible destruc-
ton. Many fell Oh mud--the most IA
tal thing young oyster can DO These
perished at once. Others attached
themselves 10 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 wen.
Fortunately for myself. drifted on
to a bit of "cultch" is to say. one
Of the old shells which the dredgers
and oyster men so carefully scatter ali
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 | did not know
why | did this. / have since realized
that It was because in that position |
should be more easily able TO eject the
sand and grit which a rough sea some
times stlrs up in shallow water. at
tached myself firmly to my anchorage
OF 'cultch" and felt myself at last fair.
ly started in life.
Soon / noticed that every single NOR
sci Of shell or stone around me was
tenanted by tiny oysters, all lying In
the same position as myself and all
firmly anchored.
There I lay. unmoving, for nearly a
year. Food, in the shape OF tiny ami
malcuIR, which an oyster loves best.
was plentiful. When the water was
thick with H. 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 wished the dainties into
OUT mouths. Our choicest delicacies
were the minute green algR. which
give to full grown oysters that greenish
tinge that is the mark OF the aristo-
cratic native
When / first anchored myself l was
but the twentieth OF an inch in diane
ter-so small. indeed, that a microscope
would have been necessary TO examine
me. AT that stage my shell was per
fectly transparent
At the end Of ten months had in
creased in diameter to fully the size
OF a dime and become what is called
brood"
During all this time had been learn.
ing many things. I found out that 4
was necessary TO close my shell 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 I
creature Of such low organism that 1
cannot see or feel much Of what is 80
ing on round about IT, But you arr
wrong The mantle fringe OF an oyster
is very sensitive. II you watched ui
from boat In calm water you would
see that the mere shadow Of the boa
crossing an oyster bed win cause thoss
OF us upon whom II falls TO close oul
shells Immediately.
II was necessary TO be most careful
Dangers were many and terrible. Sea
urchins prowled among US and de
voured many. But Of all our foes the
worst is the five fingered starftsh. one
OF my sisters. anchored not a yard
away, fell a victim to this terror OF
the oyster beds. 1t clutched her witt
its long fingers. She closed her shell.
But the creature was not 10 be shak
en- on. Hour after hour II clung there
until ON the second day after its frsi
grip she. poor thing, opened her shel
to get a mouthful OF food. At once the
starish injected into her a fluid which
stupehed her so that she could moi
close again. Then the monster turned
itself inside out, sh0t itself into the
open shell and devOured her.
Then, one day a year after 1 hnt
hoated as "spat" came startling
change in my existence. Something
huge and heavy came out Of the shad
ow OF a boat above and approached
, rasping and grating along the bottom
1t was great triangular dredge Of
wrought iron. AT the bottom was 1
. fiat bar with a blunt edge. known e
! the dredgers as the ~bit."
, AS the "bit" approached It scrapet
/ the bottom Of the sea clean, and mex
instant I, too, found myself lifted anl
dropped into the net, together Will
hundreds like myself and miscel
I laneous collection of small soles ans
other things
I One Of the men sorted over the catcl
and, having selected all the oyster
and spat. shaded" the rest back int
e the sea through a portfolio.
t 1. in company with enormous guam
titles of other brood. was put into
''wash"-a measure holding five ana
quarter galions-and relaid. Here III
I was less eventful and food most plen
tiful. To fatteu well an oyster mus
have a certain amount OF fresh water.
In this snug retreat passed fron
? brood 10 half ware and from half war
10 ware. or full grown oyster But
still went on growing and developing
until one day tho dredge swept me VI
again. and I was raised once more int