242 THE FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



Block. — The lignum vitre conical block, having an iron chisel fixed in its top, upon which oysters are broken 



before being opened. (New York,) 

 Blood Clam a]\"D Bloody Clam. — The same as Blood Quahang. 

 Blood Quahaug. — The young and small specimens of various species of Arcadw, supposed to be choicest food of 



the starfishes. (Narraganset bay.) See Hair Clam. 

 Blue Points. — Oysters originally found off Blue Point, eastern end of Great South bay. Long Island, but now 



applied to all oysters from any part of the south shore of Long Island, whether native or transplanted, 



eastward of Babylon. 

 Board-bank. — A platform set in the bank, or otherwise arranged so as to be alternately covered by tide and flooded 



with fresh water, for freshening oysters before selling. (Cape May.) See Platform. 

 Boat. — The little mollusk, Crejndulafornicata. (New Haven.) See Bedhead. 

 Borer. — I. The UrosaJpinx cinerea. (New England.) See Drill^ Snailbore, etc. 

 Borer. — II. A sijonge, Cliona sulplmrea, which eats into oyster-shells. 

 Box. — A measure for oysters, equal to one-fourth of a barrel; an oblong, shallow box, with cleates as handles nailed 



on the ends. (Mobile to Texas.) 

 Box-OYSTER. — An oyster from seven to ten years old, of round, handsome shape, not less than 3 inches wide and 



5 inches long. (Connecticut and New York.) See Extra. The name is due to the fact that many years ago 



it was customary to ship oysters of this grade to New York in boxes instead of the ordinary barrel. 

 Box STEW. — A stew made of box-oysters. (New Y^'ork.) 



Breaking. — In Baltimore, the chipping of the shell preparatory to opening an oyster. See CracMng. 

 Brogan. — A kind of large boat used by the oystermen of the Chesapeake. 

 Bruiser. — A short paddle used for beating sponges in process of cleaning. (Florida.) 

 Bucket. — A wooden, firkin-shaped, covered receptacle for shifting oy.sters ; of variable capacity. 

 Bugeye.— A tlatbottomed, center-board schooner of three to fifteen tons, built of heavy timbers, without a frame. 



A bugeye is always decked over and has a cabin aft. (Chesapeake.) 

 Bull-nose. — An old, overgrown, heavy quahaug, unfit for food. (Cape May.) 

 Bunch Oysters. — Those growing in clusters. (South.) See Raccoon Oysters. 

 Buoy. — To buoy or buoy-off a certain piece of water area, means, in Ehode Island, to seclude it from being fished as 



long as the authorities deem proper. The area so secluded is indicated by a limit-line of buoys. 

 Bushel-barrel. — A barrel cut in two, holding about IJ bushels of oysters, and used as a measure. 

 BtisHEL-OYSTERS.^See Cullenteens. 



Butter-fish.— The long neck clam, Mya arenarla. (Virginia.) See Soft Clam, Maninose, etc. 

 Calico Clam. — See Sun Clam. (Florida.) 

 Capes.— Oysters from Cape Cod and Buzzard's bay. Also, (particularly in the case of the latter) known as "Natives^. 



(Boston.) 

 Carrier. — I. A man who makes his living by unloading the boats and carrying oysters into the warehouse scows. 



(New York and New Orleans.) 

 Carrier. — II. An oyster which will endure transportation well. (Trade term.) 

 Chaplet.— A string of shells or other oyster-spat collectors suspended on wire. (France.) 

 Cheeks. — Edible parts of the sea-clam, Mactra soUdissima. (Cape Cod.) 

 Chornie RAKoosB.KA.—2Iytilusedulis. (Russian of Alaska.) " Black shells ", literally. 

 Claire. — An excavation, " more or less deep, having a muddy or marly bottom, close to the edges of the sea-board, 



through which the sea-water passes into them. * * * In these claires they assume that green color 



[formerly] so much prized by the French ". — Asplet. 

 Clam. — A smooth-shelled, bivalved moUusk. This word is popularly of wide application, and is a corruption, 



apparently, of the word " clamp ", preserved in the name of a huge East Indian species, and which sometimes 



attains the weight of several hundred pounds, and is used as a font for holy water in many churches, and for 



domestic purposes. The common "clam" of New England is the Mya arenaria; of New York and New Jersey, 



the Venus mercenaria. Many kinds are distinguished by t.u additional definitive word, prefixed, as beach-clam 



(Mactra), etc. On the Pacific coast there are many native " clams", chiefly a species of the Saxidomus. 

 Clam-cracker. — A fish, a species of ray, Bhinoptera quadriloba, which molests the oyster-beds. (Savannah.) 

 Clam-scraper.— See Dra/;-m/.-e. 

 Clam-tongs. — " Differs from oyster-tongs only in the width of the head, which averages 3^ feet." — New York, 1855. 



At the present day, the tongs used for gathering clams. 

 Clink Shell. — A name ap])lied to various mollusks of the genus Anoinia. 

 Clucker. — An oyster injured by chill, or otherwise, so as to sound hollow when its shell is struck. In England 



this word is spelled Clock; a dealer in London wrote, "The last oysters lost their sea-water, and became clocks 



and worthless." 

 Collectors. — An arrangement of arched tiles, piles of stone, hurdles, or anything similar, to collect and give 



lodgment to the spat. (Europe.) 



