The oyster has a little mouth, a stomach, and other organs. It breathes like a fish by sucking air out of the sea-water with its gills; and it also gets its food out of the sea-water.
牡蛎有一张小口, 一个胃, 还有其他的器官。牡蛎的呼吸方式跟鱼很像, 也是用鳃从海水中吸进空气的。牡蛎还从海水中得到食物。
It takes the sea-water into its mouth, and lets it run out through its gills. But any tiny living things which may be in this sea-water are caught and swallowed, and go into its stomach.
牡蛎把海水吸进口中, 又让海水从鳃流出来, 但是海水中的任何小生物都被抓住, 吞了下去, 进了牡蛎的胃。
The best oysters are found round the mouth of the river Thames, in the English Channel, and on the coasts of France.
质量最好的牡蛎, 出产在泰晤士河口, 英吉利海峡, 法国海岸。
In the summer months the oyster lays its eggs, and millions of young ones are born. They are no bigger than pin-points, and they swim about in the sea. Most of them are eaten up by fishes; but those that escape settle down on the sea-bottom, and begin to form their shells.
牡蛎在夏季产卵, 一次能产数百万粒, 不比大头针的针尖更大。（孵化出的幼体）在水里到处游逛。大多数的卵都被鱼吃掉了, 但逃脱的幼体就在海底安家, 开始长自己的贝壳。
Fishermen scrape the oysters off the sea-bottom by means of a dredge, which is a bag-shaped net with an iron rim. Then they are sent to London and to other large towns, to be sold for food. Oysters are a very good food, and they are very easy to digest, but they are rather dear.
渔民用一种“捞网”把牡蛎从海底刮下来。捞网也叫“挖泥机”, 是一种袋子形状的网, 带着一个铁耙子。然后, 渔民会把捕捞的牡蛎, 送到伦敦和其他大城市, 当做食品出售。牡蛎是非常美味的食品, 很容易消化, 但相当贵。
A great many oysters are also found along the coasts of North America, and some of these are now put into barrels and sent to this country alive. The oyster will live for two or three weeks after it is taken out of the sea, if it is kept wet with sea-water.
沿着北美海岸, 也能找到很多牡蛎, 有一些也放进大桶, 活着运到英国。牡蛎从海里捞出来, 浸在海水里, 还能活两三个星期。