200 BULLETIN OF THE tTNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



ON THE IIABIT!>4 AND DISTRIBUTION OF THK OEODUCK, A CliAITI 

 OF TBIE PACIFIC (Glycimeris generosa, Gld.), 'iVITII .SllGCESTIONS AS TO 

 ITS INTRODUCTION INTO THE ATIjANTIC COAST OF THE U. S. 



(See page 21.) 



By HENRT HEMPHILL,. 



Dear Sir : I have your favor of September 30, making inquiries in 

 regard to Glycimeris gencrosa, Gld., as to its value as an article of food, 

 and the possibilities of acclimatizing it on the Atlantic coast, &c. 



In reply I would say, I think it would be a most desirable addition to 

 our list of edible clams, first, on account of its large size, and, second, 

 for its delicacy and rich flavor, which, when it became generally known, 

 I do not hesitate to say, I think would make it more highly j^rized than 

 any other bivalve. Unfortunately, however, it seems to be quite rare, al- 

 though it has a wide range upon our coast. I have collected it in Puget 

 Sound, near Oly mpia, and here, in San Diego Bay ; it is also said to 

 be found near San Francisco Bay, and it is very probable that it exists 

 in all the intervening bays and points where favorable conditions are to 

 be met with. Its variety, however, may be more apparent than real, as 

 its habits and the conditions under which it lives are such as to make 

 it dififlcult to find, and when found, it is obtained only by hard labor 

 during extreme low tide. Its station, both in Puget Sound and San 

 Diego Bay, is about the same, at extreme low tide. At Olymjiia I no- 

 ticed the siphons of several individuals protruding above the surface of 

 the bottom in about one fathom, and it is not imiirobable that it ranges 

 to much greater depths. In both places it also selects about the same 

 kind of bottom to burrow in, namelj", muddy sand, generally free from 

 gravel. It burrows about 2^ or 3 feet below the surface. It can be 

 found only when it protrudes its pipes above the surface, after the tide 

 has run out. The receding tide fills up the holes made by the siphons 

 with sand and mud, and if they did not move them it would be impossi- 

 ble to find them. The specimens I collected in Puget Sound were much 

 larger than the specimens I collected in San Diego Bay, and it may be 

 possible that the cooler or northern waters furnish more nutritious or 

 more abundant food than the warmer or more southern stations. On 

 account of its large size, thin shell, and rich flavor, it may be eagerly 

 sought after by many marine animals, and that matter should be taken 

 into consideration if an attempt is made to colonize it on the Atlantic 

 side. The largest specimens I have seen would, I think, furnish about 

 one i^ound or more of good delicious flesh, enough for four or five persons 

 to eat at one meal. I think its flesh too rich to i^ermit of regular stuffing 

 or gormandizing, although I ate quite heartily of it for several success- 

 ive meals, and experienced no bad or disagreeable sensations afterwards. 

 I think it would be esteemed more as a delicacy than a regular every- 

 day diet. I can see no good reason why it could not be acclimatized on 



