The Cause of Chambering in Oysters and other Lamellibranchs

Abstract

THE phenomenon of chambering in oysters and other lamellibranchs is well known, and in oysters is a source of much financial loss to some oyster planters. In a chambered oyster one extensive closed chamber or several superposed large chambers may occur enclosed within the shell substance—usually in the convex valve, but sometimes in both valves. The chambers are separated from each other or from the body of the oyster by thin brittle partitions of shell only, and contain usually an evil-smelling liquid. When a chambered oyster is opened, great care is required lest the brittle wall of the chamber be broken and the evil-smelling liquid released on the oyster, which would in that case be rendered unfit for eating.