26 REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 
enormous numbers. I believe that this device for catching the 
clam-spat can be developed into one of very great practical utility, 
the main advantage being the certainty with which the young 
clams can be obtained. 
Another method of collecting spat, and the one which has 
been adopted in the experiments of the past summer, was 
suggested by the observations of the habits of the young clams 
when they first begin to burrow. It was noticed, in the summer 
of 1899, that the clams were set exceedingly thick in several 
limited localities, so that, for instance, in one square yard of the 
shore of Cornelius Island there were taken upwards of twelve 
thousand clams (Report for 1899, page 29), while in localities not 
far distant very few clams were found. In the following summer 
of 1900, new localities were discovered in which the set was 
extremely thick, while some of the rich localities of the year 
before did not yield a large crop. Again, in the summer of 1901, 
the localities which had produced large numbers in previous 
seasons were found to be comparatively barren, but still other 
areas were located in which the yield was most remarkable. On 
the east shore of Green’s Island a set was discovered, on August 
13th, which in extent and in the abundance of the clams surpassed 
any of those found in the previous seasons. And from this area 
there were taken at intervals, up to September 7th, and trans- 
planted, more than five and a half millions of small clams. It is 
difficult to describe the abundance of the specimens adequately. 
The ground was almost solid with clams for a distance of some 
two inches below the surface in many places. In order to convey 
some idea of their abundance, those caught and sifted in one 
shovelful of sand were carefully counted, and they numbered 
seven thousand nine hundred and ten, making something less 
than a quart in quantity. The sieves which were used for the 
collection of the spat were about two and one-half by five inches, 
with sides from six to eight inches in height, and the bottom was 
covered with about one-quarter inch mesh galvanized iron netting. 
In the later experiments, however, a screen with meshes about 
