CARDIAD^l. — COCKLE. 27 



yolk of eggs. The snail-shells are filled with this stuff- 

 ing, then placed before the fire, and served very hot. In 

 some countries Blainville states, that snails are eaten, 

 smoked and dried. 



Fam. CARDIADJE. 

 CARDIUM. — COC KLE . 



Cardium edule, Linnaeus. Common Cockle. — Shell 

 equivalve, subcordate, with twenty-four or more ribs 

 radiating from the beaks, which are bent inwards ; urn- 

 bones prominent; the internal margins of the valves 

 fluted or indented. Ligament external, strong, and of 

 a dark horn-colour. Four teeth in each valve ; the two 

 primary teeth close together, the lateral teeth remote. 

 Colour yellowish-white. 



The common Cockle (the ruocane or bruvane of the 

 Irish; la bucarde, sourdon, rigardot, or coque of the 

 French, the berizon of the Spaniards) is found all round 

 our coasts, burying itself in sand, or sandy mud, in the 

 neighbourhood of estuaries; and at low tides num- 

 bers of people may be seen busily engaged filling their 

 baskets, as it is everywhere much sought after for food ; 

 and during times of scarcity in some of the northern 

 islands of Scotland, the inhabitants might have perished 

 with hunger, if it had not been for this useful little shell- 

 fish. The quantity of shellfish, particularly of cockles, 

 on the shores of most parts of the Long Island (Western 

 Isles) is almost inconceivable. On the sands of Barra 

 alone, scores of horse-loads may be taken at a single 

 tide. Cockles are considered by the people very nutri- 



