THii; ECONOMIC MOLLI'SCA OF ACADIA. 



105 



f4- 



a man cannot dig quickly enough in the sand to catch them. Fre- 

 quently at low water they may be found at the surface, with about an 

 inch of the shell projecting, but if not ap- 

 proached quietly and seized quickly they 

 are soon out of reach. A method of catch- 

 ing Razor-shells, frequently practiced in 

 England, is to drop a little salt in the 

 burrow, adding a little water to carry 

 it down. This is literally putting salt 

 on their tails, for they stand head down- 

 wards in their burrows. The irritated 

 animal always comes to the surface and 

 can be seized by the hand. Another 

 method is to push down the burrow a stout 

 wire, having at its end a barb or hook; 

 this pierces the animal and it can be easily 

 drawn up. Both of these methods would 

 certainly work with our species. 



These animals, like most other.'! which 

 cannot move about, feed on microscopic m ■ '^^^ i 

 plants and animals, which are drawn into ^' ^^ ■ 



their bodies w^ith water by one of the fring- 

 ed tubes, the other being for the removal of 

 waste matters. They are rather fastidious 

 in their habitat, requiring clean sand and 

 clear water. They are, hence, not found 

 on rocky shores nor in estuaries. They 

 are eaten by some fishes, principally by 

 the Skates. 



Economics, Of Eazor-fishes in 

 general, Forbes and Hanleytell us, — 

 " They are among the most delicious 

 of shell-fish when properly cooked — 

 broiling is the best method." Willis 

 says our species is an excellent article 

 of food, and they have been sold in 

 the Halifax market for one penny Fig, 

 each. Mr. J. H. Duvar reraari^s 

 that when offered for sale at rare 



intervals in Halifax, they have found purchasers among 

 epicures. It seems to be entirely unknown as an article of 



19. — Solen ensis, var. 

 Americana. 

 Natural Size. 



