1 COMMON MUSSEL (Mytilus edulis)
a The foot
b The byssus
c c Muscles which regulate the action of the foot
2 THE MUSSEL CLOSED
3 THE BERÖE (Cydippe pileus)
4 THE FAN AMPHITRITE (A. ventilabrum)
XI.
In his celebrated journey to the western islands of Scotland, Dr. Johnson tells us that when at Ulinish, hearing of a cavern by the sea-side remarkable for powerful reverberations of sound, he determined to pay a visit to the spot. After dinner, having procured the services of some boatmen, the doctor, in company with Bozzy, started off on his trip, which, on the whole, appears to have been a pleasant one. There was, however, no echo to be heard; but to make up for this disappointment, Mr. Boswell went angling, and caught a wee 'cuddy,' (a fish about the size of a gudgeon), while the doctor was gratified by the sight of some sea-weed growing upon stones, and above all, at witnessing for the first time Mussels in their natural state.
The impression made by this candid acknowledgment upon our minds is one of wonder, that a man like Johnson could have reached his advanced years without having seen so common a sight. But it is possible that even in our day, with its unprecedented facilities for cheap travelling for the most inland inhabitants, there may be many persons to whom the sight of a Mussel fixed to a boulder by its self-constructed cable, would be as great a novelty as it was to the eloquent author of Rasselas.
It is, however, one of the commonest appearances which meet the eye of those in the habit of visiting the sea-shore. At certain localities myriads of Mussels may be noticed attached to the surface of the rocks. So thickly are these sometimes covered over, that the blade of a knife cannot be inserted at any part without touching one or more of the esculent bivalves that are to form the subject of this chapter.
The Mussel anchors itself by means of the Byssus; or, as it is commonly termed, the 'beard.' This appendage is composed of various slender threads which are attached to any object within reach, whether such be the shell of a neighbouring Mussel, a small stone, or huge boulder. The members of each colony are thereby bound together, it may be figuratively said, by the silken cords of friendship, and mayhap of love. The Mytili evidently believe that 'there's no place like home.' Although gifted with a power of moving about at will, they never attempt to exercise this when living together in a family circle, but pass through life's stages upon the spot where they were born. Certainly, if there be such a sight as a truly happy and contented family in the marine animal kingdom, it is to be found exemplified in these bearded molluscs.