42 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 



His chief enemies are men; for they are not 

 slow in finding out his places of retreat, and with 

 shovels they quickly uncover his hiding-place and 

 gather him into their baskets. His flesh, though 

 not quite so delicate as that of the oyster, is very 

 palatable, and a well-made clam chowder is a dish 

 not to be despised. 



Another point in his favor is his cheapness. 

 Comparatively few people can afford to eat oysters 

 freely, on account of the expense, and no one can 

 enter the inclosures and gather them, without per- 

 mission from the owners of the tide-lands. But 

 clams can be found almost anywhere along the 

 borders of the bay, and in most places any one is 

 allowed to dig them out whenever the tide is low. 



And so we see that the railroad has been instru- 

 mental in introducing not only the aristocratic 

 oyster, that is eaten chiefly by the rich, but also 

 the humble clam, which now daily furnishes a 

 large quantity of cheap and nutritious food. 



BLACKBOARD WORDS. 



extensively (ex-ten'siv-ly), Mya (mi'a), arenaria (ar-e- 

 na'ri-a), microscope (mi'kro-skop), coniinuiiicatioii (kom- 

 mu-ni-ka'shiln), coiiveiiieiitly (kon-ven'yent-ly), concealed 

 (kon-seld'), palatable (pal'at-a-bl), aristocratic (a-ris'to- 

 krat-ik), nutritious (nu-trish'us), cilia (sil'i-a). 



