. Ocean wonders: a companion for the seaside. ledmussel commonly sold in the markets, and sometimes pre-served by pickling. In France and some other parts of Eu-rope these mussels are cultivated very extensively, and fur-nish food to the inhabitants in even greater quantities thandoes the oyster. They are thickly strewed on our shore inmany localities. At Fort Hamilton scarcely a stone can befound at low tide but is covered with them; and even oldwooden posts standing in the water a little distance from theshore are loaded with them. These belong most emphati-cally to the class of gregarious m
. Ocean wonders: a companion for the seaside. ledmussel commonly sold in the markets, and sometimes pre-served by pickling. In France and some other parts of Eu-rope these mussels are cultivated very extensively, and fur-nish food to the inhabitants in even greater quantities thandoes the oyster. They are thickly strewed on our shore inmany localities. At Fort Hamilton scarcely a stone can befound at low tide but is covered with them; and even oldwooden posts standing in the water a little distance from theshore are loaded with them. These belong most emphati-cally to the class of gregarious mollusks, occurring often inheaps, so that they have been used in some instances as natu-ral buttresses to support bridges or breakwaters near the sea-shore. The combined strength of bushels of mussels, allfastened together with their silken byssus-threads, which arevery strong, makes a more resisting wall than can be builtby the human mason. On our own coasts they live and flourish, simply opening MOLLUSKS: THE BORING PHOLAS, TEREDO, ETC. 93. Common Salt-water Mussel (Mytilus their valves when hungry to receive whatever the ocean-waves may bring them. Millions on millions are, however,annually destroyed by the blackfish (Tautog), which is veryfond of nipping them off, especially when they are youngand their shells are comparatively soft and tender. Someof these shells are very prettily marked with light, striatedbands; the lines form a sweep something like the tail of acomet, taking the narrow, hinged portion of the shell for thehead or nucleus of the stream-ers. Occasionally we observeamong the mass of jetty-blackshells one or more of a deeporange - color. In the tanktheir most attractive feature isthe perfect byssus which theyspin from an internal organ,which only the fisherman seesin its natural state, and which is usually a great novelty tothe inland amateur. There is another variety of the mussel, not edible, calledthe Modiola plicatula, and which is equally plentiful as t
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