Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 December 1898 — Hiding the Dirt. [ARTICLE]

Hiding the Dirt.

It cannot be said that the oyster impresses one as being a cleanly creature; yet he dislikes dirt, and gets rid of it in his own way. In the hollow of most oyster-shells will be found dark blotches, the size of a finger-nail, which look not unlike blisters. These, spots seem to be a discoloration in the shell. The silvery surface is unbroken over them, though the black or dark blue places bulge slightly above the surrounding white shell. Touch these spots with a fork, and they are easily broken, showing a layer of shell of tissue-paper thinness covering small masses of mud, which may be scraped away until, beneath, the ordinary white oyster-shell Is reached.