from the fresh water.

"The young oysters are hatched in the shell of the mother in the form
of eggs. She keeps them for awhile, but presently sets them free, and
although they are very tiny, they have eyes to see with, and can swim
about. The oysters have large families, and I knew of one Lady Oyster
who had two million young ones, but of course, only a few lived to
grow up, since they are greatly prized as food by all fish, and
delicious meals they make too, as I can tell you from experience.

"But about the young oysters: Well they are driven about by the
currents and tides, and finally attach themselves to some object, like
a rock, or hide in the sand and mud, and there they take up
housekeeping for life, for, once their shell hardens, they cannot
move.

"They are stupid creatures as compared with superior fish, like you
and me for instance; but of course, since they have no head proper,
they cannot be expected to use their brains. An Oyster has a large
heart, however, as well as eyes, mouth, lips and liver, and he
breathes through little tiny things like leaflets on each side of his
body. I have heard that the oysters in the Indian Ocean contain very
beautiful and costly pearls, as well as those in the Pacific, and
other seas, and a good many common oysters have pearls in them too.

"They say that the two-legged land race value the oyster on account of
the pearls, and that they are very fond of it as an article of food:
and indeed I've been told that this horrible race of land creatures
will devour or make use of in some way, almost anything that comes out
of the water. How glad I am that I live in the sea, instead of on