El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-08-23

are placed for several days, before be-
/ ing sent to market. in stone basins of
clear water, which are allowed to
empty with the tides. Then, as a
final touch, their shells are carefully
cleaned with a jet of water and a
metal brush, to remove any dirt or
plant material that may adhere to
them. Thus prepared, they sell at four
cents a piece, retail.
Always Lies on Left Sire.
An oyster always lies Oh its left side.
Its shell is hinged ike a checkbook,
and its mouth cat the hinged end) opens
into a stomach surrounded by the liv-
err; from which proceeds a long in
testinal canal. The sOcalled heart" is
in reality the big muscle which the
animal uses to close its shell and keep
II shut One may judge Of the strength
Of this muscle from the difficulty Of
opening an oyster. Close by the mus
Gle in question Will be seen a trans
parent crescent shaped body, enTeloped
in delicate membrane, which, when
cut away, reveals the heart beating
slowly.
Around the edge OF the shell are seen
the gills, which serve the animal in lieu
Of lungs fer breathing. But also they
serve to filter the water and separate
from 1t the food particles it contains
these, as already explained, being
largely diatoms. Such microscopic
plants have f1inty shells, which fit one
into the other like two' halves Of
pill-box; and the oyster, when it has
digested the contents trows away the
boxes. The food supply Of the mol
lusSs likewise comprises animalcules
Of many kinds, the eggs of shrimps
and marine worms, and spores of sea-
weeds.
Oyster Beds Like Cities.
An oyster bed is by no means inhab-
tied exclusively by oysters. 1t is like
a city, having various classes of inhab-
tants, with not q few criminals to
prey upon the respectable and con-
sentative mOllusks. In this Watery
town are numerous nimble pocket
crabs, spider, crabs of alarming appear
ance, hermit crabs in abandoned snail
shells, spiral shelled snails, starfishes,
sea-urchins as big as small apples,
greenish and black bristling black
mUssels, and marine worms of brilliant
hues.
Even the shells of the oysters them
selves are covered with barnacles, Ov-
ver-grOwn with spOnges, and bedecked
with tassels which are communities OF
little animals called "bryozoa- Some
times on a single bivalve will be found
as many as 200 species of animals And
at least one oyster in every five reg
ularly entertains a boarder, which is
a small crab, hardly more than half
an inch crOm claw to claw. The crab
is not welcome, presumably ne makes
his home in a pocket shaped cavity
close by the oysters mouth, and picks
up what he wants of his entertainers
food.
Has Slim Chance
Under natural conditions an oyster
has only about one chance in 100000
of living to grow up. Unless while
floating about in the water, the egg
happens to encounter some OF the
'milt" similarly set aflOat by the male
and the baby mollusk IS not eaten by
some fish or other enemy. it has still
a rather poor prospect of finding a
solid body, such as a rock or shell, to
establish itself upOn-lacking which il |
will perish. Perhaps, however, it is |
Just as well that the chances in its |
favor are not greater-for it has been
calculated that the descendants OF one |
female in five generations. If all eggs |
Matched, and the young grew to ma I
turitv- would compose a bulk more |
han eight times as big as the earth
OYSTERS. carried across the continent i
have been planted in many places /
along the Pacific coast of the United 4
States from Puget Sound southwark. |
They thrive and grow under such cir /
cumstances, but they do not breed, the /
reason being that the water is too 1
cold for them. 1t is requisite that the /
water shall rise to at least 20 degrees |
Tor few weeks in summer. in order |
hat our oysters shall reproduce their }