﻿LOBSTER 
  AND 
  CLAM 
  INVESTIGATIONS. 
  

  

  203 
  

  

  At 
  West 
  Falmouth, 
  Mass., 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  arm 
  of 
  the 
  harbor 
  

   which 
  was 
  found, 
  in 
  July, 
  1809, 
  to 
  contain 
  vast 
  numbers 
  of 
  small 
  

   clams. 
  No 
  other 
  locality 
  along 
  the 
  shore 
  seemed 
  to 
  possess 
  many 
  of 
  

   them, 
  although 
  almost 
  any 
  clam 
  beach 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  showed 
  

   a 
  few 
  individuals 
  which 
  had 
  not 
  long 
  been 
  settled 
  there. 
  They 
  were 
  

   found 
  both 
  above 
  and 
  below 
  the 
  low-water 
  mark. 
  Some 
  very 
  short 
  

   strips 
  just 
  below 
  low- 
  water 
  seemed 
  to 
  contain 
  many 
  small 
  clams 
  

   closely 
  crowded; 
  but 
  though 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  shore 
  were 
  followed, 
  onh' 
  two 
  

   or 
  three 
  of 
  these 
  small 
  patches 
  were 
  found. 
  It 
  is 
  apparently 
  only 
  now 
  

   and 
  then 
  that 
  the 
  conditions 
  necessary 
  for 
  segregation 
  are 
  present. 
  

   The 
  beds 
  at 
  West 
  Falmouth 
  were 
  extensive, 
  and 
  probably 
  offered 
  as 
  

   perfect 
  a 
  field 
  for 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  these 
  segregations 
  as 
  could 
  be 
  found. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  explain 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   more 
  important 
  conditions, 
  a 
  figure 
  

   of 
  the 
  small 
  bay 
  has 
  been 
  drawn. 
  It 
  

   is 
  not 
  perfectly 
  accurate, 
  but 
  gives 
  a 
  

   fair 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  ground. 
  The 
  bay 
  is 
  

   about 
  400 
  yards 
  long. 
  At 
  its 
  mouth 
  

   it 
  is 
  about 
  40 
  and 
  at 
  its 
  middle 
  

   about 
  100 
  yards 
  wide. 
  The 
  upper 
  

   end 
  of 
  the 
  bay 
  widens 
  considerably. 
  

   It 
  is 
  probably 
  nowhere 
  more 
  than 
  6 
  

   or 
  8 
  feet 
  in 
  depth 
  at 
  low-tide. 
  One 
  

   stream 
  of 
  water 
  liesides 
  the 
  inlet 
  

   enters 
  the 
  bay. 
  This 
  is 
  near 
  its 
  

   upper 
  end, 
  and 
  is 
  about 
  2 
  feet 
  wide, 
  

   the 
  outlet 
  of 
  a 
  pond 
  of 
  brackish 
  

   water. 
  

  

  The 
  heavy 
  outline 
  of 
  the 
  figure 
  

   may 
  represent 
  the 
  high-water 
  murk, 
  

   the 
  dotted 
  line 
  mean 
  low 
  water. 
  The 
  

   stipples 
  show 
  the 
  regions 
  where 
  the 
  

   heavy 
  "set" 
  of 
  young 
  clams 
  occurred. 
  The 
  lower 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  bay, 
  

   between 
  these 
  lines 
  of 
  clams, 
  was 
  choked 
  by 
  a 
  close 
  growth 
  of 
  eelgrass. 
  

   The 
  wide 
  upper 
  end 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  soft 
  oozy 
  mass 
  of 
  fine 
  sediment. 
  

  

  As 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  stipples 
  in 
  the 
  diagram, 
  the 
  small 
  clams 
  were 
  dis- 
  

   tributed 
  in 
  two 
  long 
  strips 
  below 
  the 
  ordinary 
  low-tide 
  mark, 
  and 
  

   parallel 
  with 
  the 
  shores. 
  These 
  strips 
  were 
  nearly 
  200 
  yards 
  long, 
  

   and 
  between 
  two 
  and 
  three 
  3^ards 
  wide. 
  The 
  clams 
  extended 
  nearly 
  

   to 
  the 
  eelgrass. 
  They 
  were 
  nowhere 
  present 
  in 
  the 
  broad 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   bay, 
  farthest 
  from 
  its 
  mouth, 
  nor 
  were 
  there 
  any 
  adult 
  clams 
  between 
  

   the 
  tide 
  marks 
  in 
  this 
  region. 
  Adult 
  clams 
  were 
  fairh^ 
  al^undant 
  

   between 
  tide 
  lines 
  opposite 
  the 
  young, 
  near 
  the 
  opening 
  to 
  the 
  bay. 
  

  

  On 
  examining 
  the 
  tide 
  currents 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  two 
  

   comparatively 
  swift 
  streams, 
  whether 
  the 
  tide 
  was 
  rising 
  or 
  falling, 
  

  

  Diagram 
  of 
  beds 
  of 
  young 
  clams 
  at 
  West 
  

   Falmouth, 
  Mass. 
  

  

  