HOW TO CATCH KAZOR-FISH. 381 



They are not unlike razor-handles, and as every marine 

 animal is called a fish, the Solen is hence named Eazor- 

 fish, although, in truth, a bivalve mollusc. Few per- 

 sons, except naturalists, have seen the animal alive. 

 He bores a hole many feet in the sand, and there 

 passes his days, like the Pliolas in the rock, never 

 comino- to the surface, and borino; out of all reach 

 when disturbed. The difficulty of getting at him is 

 obvious, and may lead you to be sceptical of the salt- 

 ing plan. Surely, you will argue, the initial difficulty 

 which discourages the ornithological ardour of the boy 

 must equally frustrate the philosopher ; since, if the 

 Solen will allow himself to be approached near enough 

 to have his tail salted, he may be taken witliout this 

 saline preliminary. Thus reasons the reader, not with- 

 out astuteness ; yet, like many other reasoners, he 

 will find that a priori deductions, however elegant, 

 frequently pass over the head of Fact. Instead, there- 

 fore, of arguing what must be, let him come with 

 me, and see what is. He will find that the Solen 

 must first be salted, ere he sufler himself to be 

 approached. 



It is a hot, quiet afternoon. The tide is out, and a 

 wide sweep of sand lies before us. We are armed with 

 thin iron rods, each barbed at the end like a harpoon ; 

 we add thereto a paper of salt, basket, and jar. Over 

 the yielding sand we pass, until we approach low- 

 water mark, and then we begin peering about to find 

 the trace of the Solen. This trace consists of nothing 

 more than two small holes close together, sometimes 



