REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 33 



ranging' from those which were hardly visible to those nearly one- 

 half inch in length, were taken in abundance from the spat col- 

 lector at Rumstick. Figure 6 represents the clams of various 

 sizes taken from an area 6x6 inches in this spat collector on Janu- 

 ary 20th, and the smaller specimens belong to this latter set. 

 The shores in various places were immediately examined, and it 

 was found that in many localities similar small clams were present. 

 At the reservation bed in the Kickemuit river they were abund- 

 dant, although not so thick as in the spat collector. The set of 

 clams at the regular season seemed to be much poorer in 1902 

 than in the three previous years, and for the first time in four 

 years we were unable to find any locality in which they set in 

 great abundance. "Whether the fact of this meagre set at the 

 usual time is related to the fact of the increased winter set, we 

 cannot say at present. 



Spat- Collecting Apparatus. — The principle of this simple contriv- 

 ance, to which we have several times referred, is discussed in the 

 report of 1900, page 25. A box is set into the ground or is tilled 

 with sand, and the cover provided with a fine screen or perforated 

 with numerous holes ; the box is then placed where the tide will 

 cover it for a considerable portion of the time. The small swim- 

 ming clams find their way into the box and apparently have diffi- 

 culty in getting out. At any rate, large numbers will set in the 

 box, even when the set in the immediate vicinity outside is very 

 sparse. Through the kindness of Mr. Charles Alexander, we have 

 been able to place one of these collectors on the shore of Eum- 

 stick Point with the best assurance that it will not be disturbed. 

 Figures 4 and 5 show this particular collector in operation. It is 

 modelled after Mr. Alexander's ingenious invention for retaining 

 and growing clams, which is described and figured in the last 

 report. 



Continued Observations on the Rate of Growth. — The conclusion in 

 regard to the rate of growth stated in the previous reports has been 

 confirmed by the further experiments and observations : First, 



