FAUNA OF THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS AND ALASKA PENINSULA 383 



The rock oyster, or jingle, Pododesmus macrochisma, is fairly 

 common throughout the Aleutian chain. It is especially abundant 

 near the Peninsula. The rock oyster can not usually be collected 

 between tide lines, but its empty shells are strewn along the beach 

 where they have been cast up from shallow water. The oysters 

 grow solitary or in clusters (seldom more than four), on rocks 

 just below low tide and never are buried in the sand. The at- 

 tached valve is perforated by a conspicuous hole. The oysters are 

 eaten by natives who fry the reddish flesh in butter. 



Protothaca staminea is a small cocklelike clam with concentric 

 ridges more conspicuous than the radiating lines. 



The butter clam, Saxidomus giganteus, has a thick white shell, 

 glossy within and chalky outside, with the growth lines not pro- 

 nounced. It is used as food by whites and natives. 



The razor clam, Siliqua patula, was collected only at Atka and 

 Unimak islands. The flesh is considered by local natives to have 

 a finer taste than that of any other mollusk. It is difficult to 

 gather any number of the clams, however, because they grow in 

 fairly deep water, and the tides in the Aleutians do not fall low 

 enough to expose the beds. It is possible to dig these light-shelled 

 clams by backing a power boat up to the beach, throwing out 

 two anchors astern, and letting the wash of the propeller lift the 

 clams out of the sand. A native of Unalaska stated that they 

 used to be abundant in front of the village. 



Spisula poly ny ma is widespread among the islands. It is a 

 rather large bivalve with brown periostracum and acute dorsal 

 angle. 



SNAILS AND SEA SLUGS 



Five species of limpets, Acmaea, were collected (fig. 12). Lim- 

 pets are very common throughout the Aleutian Islands, in pools 

 or clinging to wet rocks above low tide. The only species found 

 in sea-otter and blue-fox droppings was A. digitalis. A. pelta was 

 collected most often (at 10 stations) and is the largest of the 

 Aleutian limpets, reaching a diameter of 5 centimeters. A. mitra 

 is a strongly peaked species. A. scutum was collected at seven 

 stations. 



An odd, tiny snail Anabathron muriei was described from speci- 

 mens found in sea-otter droppings (Bartsch and Render, 1939). 



Eight species of Buccinum were collected. 



Fusitriton oregonensis was the only large, cornucopialike snail 

 that was collected ; it has a length of about 5 centimeters, and is 



