Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 07.djvu/103

OYER AND TERMINER 71 OZARK MOUNTAINS Europe during the Franco-German War, and he had made a thorough study of Moltke's methods, and these methods he applied with entire success both at Liao- Yang and Mukden. He was made prince in 1907. OYER AND TERMINER, the name , of courts of criminal jurisdiction in the I United States, generally held at the same time with the court of quarter sessions, and by the same judges, and which have power, as the terms imply, to hear and determine all treasons, felonies, and mis- demeanors committed within their juris- diction. OYSTER, a well-known edible shell fish, belonging to the genus ostrea, oc- curring in most parts of the world. The European oyster (O. edulis), which forms a considerable article of trade on the coasts of England and Finance, is taken by dredging, after which the ani- mals arc placed in pits formed for the purpose, furnished with sluices, through which, at spring tides, the water is suf- fered to flow. In these receptacles they acquire the green tinge so remarkable in the European oyster, and which is considered as adding to their value. The breeding time of oysters is in April or May, from which time to July or August, the oysters are said to be "sick," or "in the milk." This is known by the appearance of a milky substance in the gills. Oysters attain a size fit for the table in about a year and a half, and are in their prime at three years of age. From the observations and experi- ments of naturalists, it appears that they can move from place to place by sud- denly closing their shells, and thus eject- ing the water contained between them with sufficient force to throw themselves backward, or in a lateral direction. The lime obtained from the calcina- tion of oyster shells, though exceedingly pure and white, is suited for work which does not require great tenacity, as for plastering rooms. The oysters most esteemed in the United States are the Virginian oyster (O. Virginiana) and the Northern oys- ter^ (0. borealis.) The flats in the vi- cinity of maritime cities are generally thickly beset with poles, indicating the localities of oyster beds. The principal sources of supply are the Chesapeake Bay, the coast of New Jersey, and Long Island Sound. Formerly the oyster beds were almost wholly kept up by restocking them with seed oysters from Chesapeake Bay and from the Hudson river; but of late years the spat is secured at spawning time, and new ground in the vicinity is brought under cultivation, till the ai'ea of oyster beds in Long Island Sound is now com- puted by miles rather than by acres, and it is yearly extending. Latv as to Oysterfi. — The rule is that he who has the right of property in the soil or seashore is entitled to catch or keep a bed of oysters there. Whoever steals oysters or oyster-brood from an oyster-bed which is private property is guilty of felony; and whoever unlaw- fully or willfully uses any dredge, net, or instrument within the limits of a private oyster-bed, for the purpose of taking oysters, though none are actual- ly taken, is guilty of a misdemeanor. In the United States there are various laws for the protection of the oyster in- dustry, and applicable to various states, those relating to Virginia and New Jersey, being the most specific and strict. OYSTER CATCHER, in ornithology, Hxmatopus ostralcgus, a handsome Euro- pean bird, about 16 inches long, common on flat, sandy coasts. The head, neck, throat, scapularies, quill feathers, and latter half of the tail feathers are deep glossy black, the rest of the plumage pure white. The bill, about three inches long, is a rich ruddy color, deepest at the OYSTER CATCHER base; very much compressed, with a wedge-like termination. Oyster catcher is a misnomer, for the bird feeds mostly on mussels and limpets, though it fre- quently takes to the water in search of food. The bird seems to lay its head sideways on the ground, and then, grasp- ing the limpet's shell close to the rock between the mandibles, uses them as scissor-blades to cut off the mollusk from its sticking place. Also any of the sev- eral American species of wading birds of the genus Hcematopus. OZARK MOUNTAINS, a chain of the United States, intersecting in a S. W. direction the States of Missouri and Arkansas; height about 1,400 feet.