Oyster

(oiz'tur.) [ From Du. oester; L. ostrea. ] (Zool.) Awell-known edible shell-fish, the several species of which compose the fam. Ostreidæ, O. Lamellibranch i at a. The O., particularly when eaten raw, is easy of digestion, and remarkably nutritious. The species most esteemed in America are the Virgin i an O., Ostrea Virgin i an a, which is the common O. of the Chesapeake; and O. borealis, which is commonly 5 or 6 inches in length, and grows often to the length of a foot. This is the common New York O. The principal breeding-time of the common O. is in April or May, when their spawn is usually cast: this appears at first like little spots of grease, which fasten upon rocks, stones, or other hard substances that happen to be near. Very commonly they adhere to adult shells: and thus are formed the large ma es termed oyster-banks. In about a year and a half they attain a size fit for the table. The powers of multiplication which O. po e are so wonderful, that the banks or beds which they form occupy portions of the sea, extending for miles, in shallow parts; and in some places (particularly along the alluvial shores of Georgia) walls of living O. literally counteract the otherwise resist le force of the tide. [s. 675]