l82 lidiblc Mc/hisca of the ()rr;^oit Caasf 



bcr (il year>. The acli\'it_\- ol the enterprise, however, is (le])en(lent 

 u|)(iii the iiichiiation of the digi^ers to supply the cannery with 

 elaius. During- the sahiion fishing' season it is ])ractically ini])()ssible 

 to !_^et men to (hi^ chinis, as higher waives can he made in the fish- 

 ing' hoats. 



At nearly all of the towns on the ( )re.L;"on coast where clam 

 l)e(ls are accessible there are one or two men who devote at least 

 a ])ortion of their time tt) dis^'i^'in^' clams for local demands or near- 

 by markets. Fisli markets usually handle sup])lies of fresh clams 

 for the convenience of the local trade. 



Through the courtesy of Dr. A. D. Howard, of the L'nited 

 States biological Station at Fairport, Iowa, some careful tests were 

 recently made by a factory of that localitv to determine the possi- 

 bilit\' of the utilization of the shell of Saxidomus giganteus in the 

 manufacture of buttons. The conclusion was that this shell, like 

 those of most marine molluscs, is too hard and brittle for that pur- 

 pose. 



r.ExERAL msTRii'.LTio.v oi* Tni{ Kinnr.K cl.\ms .^xd mussels ox the 



OREC.OX COAST. 



I. Sili(|ua patula Dixon. 



Among the bivalves inhal)iting the ocean beaches of our north- 

 west coast, which have become recognized as food i)ro(lucts either 

 localh' or in more distant markets, the razor clam is, in the opinion 

 of man\-, of chief value. This clam is still abundant on the Wash- 

 ington coast north of the mouth of the Columbia River in spite of 

 the inroads made upon it by the canneries. A seasonal restriction 

 limiting the activities of the clam canneries to a few months during 

 each vear has, no (loul)t, been a factor in stabilizing the razor clam 

 on the \\'ashington beaches. 



( )n the Oregon coast Siliqua patula has for many years main- 

 tained itself in alnmdance north of Tillamook I lead in Clatsop 

 County where large quantities of the clams may still be taken dur- 

 ing the \ear at periods of k)w tides. L'ntil about six years ago beds 

 of razor clams of consideral)le size were known to exist at many 

 points throughout the entire coast of Oregon. There apparently 



occurred, howcN'cr, a sudden depletion of the si)ecies along the sandy 



r ^ 1 



