AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY. 



went up to the sound at his request in June of said year, and 

 fixed upon Olympia, at the head of Budd's Inlet, as a base. 

 The character of the sea-bed here may be described as varying 

 from sandy mud to miuidy sand, occasionally gravelly, and 

 there is sometimes found a patch of hardened or compactly 

 indurated clay of a light blue color. 



The most striking peculiarity of the environment, and the 

 principal one relating to tiie presence and obtaining of geoduck, 

 is the extreme tides which occur here from about the niiddle of 

 May to the Summer solstice in June, or a little later, during 

 which period the rise and fall of the tides, or in other words, the 

 difference between high and low water, is twenty to twenty-five 

 feet. Now it must be borne in mind that it is only during the 

 season of these extraordinary tides that the big clam can be 

 obtained. I found that by the 23rd of June, "the long run-outs,'' 

 as they are called by the people there, had nearly ceased. The 

 white men and Indians employed by me, who had been sent out 

 in various directions, returning at night or early in the morning 

 for three consecutive days had met with "fisherman's luck.'' 

 I was not disappointed for I knew the cause, not having been 

 able myself to reach the low water line of three or four days 

 before. 



By this we are able to perceive more clearly the force of the 

 common expression, "as happy as a clam at high water." 



It is presumable that the scarcity of the geoducks along the 

 ocean coast as far to the south as the species are found, is more 

 apparent than real. The rise and fall of the tides along the 

 main coast is, say about six feet, and not sufficient to uncover 

 that portion of the zone preferred by the geoducks; again the 

 temperature of the water at the southerly stations may be too 

 high and cause them to seek a cooler temperature by living at 

 greater depths. As to the more special habits of the geoduck, 

 such as burrowing, etc., the following is not without interest. 



Captain Lawson informed me that upon one occasion he 

 saw the end of the large siphon tube projecting above the surface 

 of a small shoal. Upon examining the spot it was found to be 

 sandstone; in order to capture the clam the stone had to be brok- 

 en with a crowbar. Beneath this superstratum was found sand 



