Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-07-27


ter in the Rappahannock and Chesa-
peake. Over hundred perch, rock
and trout is an average two-hours' fish
to the man just now.
To pickle crab meat scald some good
cider vinegar, adding bag containing
whole cloves, celery seed, a Glove of
garlic and little mustard seed; corian-
der seed may be added if desired; let
the bag remain in the vinegar while it
scalds and pour while hot over crab
meat that has been picked from the shells
and cut into pieces of as uniform size as
possible; turn into jar and keep sealed
until used.
The Hon. S. Wilkins Mathews, sec
rotary of the State Board of Fisheries.
was in Richmond last week where he
had been in consultation with the at
torney general in regard TO a unique
condition of affairs he has'unearthed on
the Eastern Shore and to secure legal
action IN remedying the evil he discov-
cred. Itappears that oystermen have
been securing tracts of marsh lands along
the shores of the Chesapeake on land
warrants, the grants being made by the
state authorities under the impression
that the lands are wanted for hunting
or fishing purposes. After the land is
thus secured the owner calmly turns
the marsh. much of which is under
water all the time and all of which is
submerged except when the tide is low.
into an oyster bed.
The waters near the Pacific atolls
TEEN with sharks, and fishing for them
has brought out a considerable fleet of
vessels within the last thirty or forty
years. The enormous livers and the
fins and tails are the only parts of the
creatures specially sought, although the
skins are now saved, and they are
made soft and pliable by new German
process. The liver oil is useful as q
lubricant and for medicinal purposes,
and the tails and fins, the latter worth
from $3.50 to $3.50 per ton, are priced by
the Chinese for soups and many othe,
purposes. The Gilbert Islanders are
reputed the most expert fishers. They
use lines of cocoanut fiber and very
strong hooks made from tree roots, and
though they fish from small canoes.
loss of life among them is rare. Yet
the sharks are so voracious that thew
often tear to pieces one of their fellows
that has been hooked and drawn along
side to be dubbed. In some localities
three or four men will often get twenty
sharks in day.
ANATOMY OF AN OYSTER.
Every oyster has a mouth. a heart. q
liver, a stomach and other necessary
internal organs, including set of cum
ningly devised intestines. The mouth
is at the small end of the oysters BODY.
near the hinge of the shell. 1t is oval
In shape, and, though not readily dis
covered by an Impractical eye, it NAV
be easily located by gently pushing a
blunt bodkin or similar instrument along
the folds of the surface of the BODY at
the place mentioned. Connected with
w
the mouth is the canal which the OYSTER
uses In conveying food to the stomach.
from whence it passes into the curious
little set of netted and twisted intestines
referred to in the opening. Todiscover
the heart of an oyster the fold of flesh
which oystermen call the ''mantle"
must be removed. This is fatal to the
oyster, of course, but in the interest of
science and for the benefit of the
curious" it is occasionally done. When
the mantle has been removed the heart.
shaped like crescent or horned moon.
is laid to the view. The oysters heart
is made up of two parts, just like that
OF human being, one of which receives
the blood from the gills and the other
drives 1t out through the arteries. The
liver is found in the immediate vicinity
OF the heart and stomach and is a queer
shaped little organ, which is supposed
to perform all the functions of blood
filter.