THE PLAGUE Of SEA CLAMS AT E ASTON' S BEACH, 



NEWPORT. 



On September 11, 1909, your Commissioners received tlie following- 

 interesting letter from the secretary of the Easton's Beach Co.: 



Easton's Beach, Newport, R. I., 



Office, 10 Catherine Street, 



September 10, 1909. 

 The Commissioners of Inland Fisheries, 



State House, Providence, R. I. 



Gentlemen: — We beg to call your attention to a most extraordinary visitation 

 of small clams on this beach beginning last April, and only gradually decreasing 

 in numbers (the total being probably in the millions), in the hope that something 

 may be done for the benefit of the general public here towards preventing a 

 repetition of the nuisance. 



We sent a few samples of these clams (of one-half inch to one inch in length) 

 to Professor Alexander Agassiz, who suggested that we might appeal to you in 

 the matter. He also gave the opinion that probably an examination by dredging 

 and diving might be necessary to determine what is best to be done. 



No one remembers ever seeing these small clams here before. After storms 

 some large beach-clams have washed up each year, and sometimes a few clams 

 of about 2 inches to 3 inches in length have been on the beach for a short period 

 of the summer, but never these small ones. Some of these latter appear to have 

 grown to a size of 1 J inch in length, but thousands more of the smaller ones would 

 wash up and die in the sun, making a bad odor. We have been carting them to 

 the east dunes all summer, tons upon tons of them, at large expense and trouble ; 

 until now the arrivals being few, we can keep pretty well ahead of new arrivals 

 on every tide. 



The patrol men have been diving down to the bottom to examine the raft 

 chains and anchors, in a depth of about six feet at low tide, and report that they 

 find clams, and sea-weed which they think is growing there, which is unusual. 



No one seems to know what sort of clam it is, or whether the young of big clams. 

 They have already been in banks of over a foot deep on the beach, and should 



