- 52 — 



t.lie open ocean (see pages 31 and -17). The certainty with which its ver- 

 tical position is assumed evidences the acuteness of its balancing organs. 

 When alarmed, as it easily is by a footstep or tap of a spade in its 

 neighborhood, it digs rapidly downward with its large foot, and unless 

 pursued, comes to rest a short distance below the surface but resumes 

 its motion on being again alarmed. The method of capture illustrates 

 the acute sensitiveness. It is necessary either to discover the clam 

 while its siphons project and to dig it very quickly, or to tap the 

 surface over it with a spade, when it will betray its presence by moving 

 downward and causing a slight pit to- appear in the sand over it. 

 Usually two diggers work together, one carrying the sack into which 

 he puts the clams, the other devoting his time entirely to digging. 



The clam is able to withstand but little exposure to the air, despite 

 the fact that it will project its siphon from the sand. It recpiires 

 ground in which the water is retained to a great degree during ebb 

 tides, not merely in order to live, but in order to move with facility. 

 The sensitiveness of the animal probably is of great use to it in serving 

 to warn it of heavy wave action, and its great activity enables it to 

 escape the injurious effect of shifting sand. Thus it is fitted fcJr life 

 on the outer beaches, which must, however, be of pure sand, without 

 pel)bles or rocks which would break its shell, or hinder its motion, and 

 deep enough to allow it some scope in its movements, while at the 

 same time level enough to retain a substratum of water. It is not to 

 be found in enclosed waters where the bottom is muddy and tenacious, 

 nor in the slightly brackish water which is so often an accompaniment 

 of such a bottom. "Whether it is present in any number in sand 

 banks below low tide level is a moot cpiestion, although such a state 

 of aft'airs is indicated by the presence of shells on the beaches where 

 no clams are to be caught. With these conditions in mind, it should 

 not be hard to understand the peculiarly localized distribution of 

 the sjiecies. 



Distribution — Xortlui-ii California: As stated, the form found 

 north of ^Monterey is Siliqua patida. 



In accordance with the character of the coast, there are found but 

 three beds of these clams in northern California. The most northerly 

 of these is just above Point St. George, near Crescent Citj^, and 

 extends from the Point proper to near the spit opposite Lake Earl. 

 The clams are more abundant here than in any other locality. The 

 sandy beach south of Crescent City is said to have been at one time 

 alnindantly stocked for a distance of about four miles, but it was found 

 to be nearly bare of them ; only witli great difficulty were specimens 

 obtained. The best known bed, however, is at Little River, but it 

 is subject to a most energetic fishery by the inhabitants of the 

 surrounding country, and hence is less abundantly stocked than the 

 beach near Point St. George. The Little River beach appeared ideal 

 for them, and local report had it that formerly the clams were very 

 abundant. At the time fhey were examined (1910, W. P. T.) they 

 were to be found from the mouth of Little River a distance of a 

 mile and a half south, becoming progressively less numerous. Else- 

 where along the coast cast up shells were to be picked up everywhere, 

 especially along the beaches near Klamath River, Eel River, and the 



