.liiicricaii Fisheries Society. 177 



mark, where it cannot be taken by the ordinary method of (Ho- 

 ping-, but onl\- by thi' more elaborate and unusual method of 

 churning. In Cole's river, where, under Massachusetts laws 

 the clams are better protected, they are nuich more abundant 

 than in the neighboring- Rhode Island estuary, Kickemuit River, 

 though both are similarly situated and the latter has been jiroved 

 by its past history to be a locality as favorable as '.he other. 

 These facts and others indicate clearly that the decrease in the 

 clams of the State is due mainly to the unlimited and promiscu- 

 otis digging and not to changed natural conditions. 



4. That frequent digging up of the ground is necessary, or 

 that it is even a positive benefit to the clams, by rendering the 

 ground soft, is probably a fallacy. The fact that often the finest 

 specimens are found in hard, stony ground, or in hard clav Hats, 

 which are only occasionally exposed to the clam-iliggcr at an 

 unusually low tide, and the observation:-, made during the smn- 

 mer upon the growth of unmolested specimens, indicate tliat 

 they grow well, at any rate, if left undisturbed. The hai:)ils of the 

 animal, in obtaining food, point to the same conclusion. The 

 food is obtained from the water which is taken in through the 

 siphon, and not from the soil in which the clam lies. .So long as 

 it is well located, therefore, and in communication with the v. ater 

 it is distinctly not to its advantage to oe disturbed, partscu'arly 

 at the risk of being buried deep under the mud or left on the 

 surface, a prey to crabs, mummichogs, star-fish, and oilier ene- 

 mies. Clams less than one-half an inch long will liurrow verv 

 rapidly when they are exposed on the surface of liie nmd (if 

 covered by water), but those upwards of three-fourths of an 'uch 

 will often lie for a long time without even trying to "nurrDv.-, 

 and then are not very ef^cient in getting into the nnui. Tin's 

 method of "cultivation," although undoubtedly excellent for ap- 

 ple trees, is not, however, equally good for clams. 



5. The breeding-S'Cason of the clam is at its height in Juno. 

 The exact limits of the period have not been ascertained. The 

 eggs are extruded in great numbers into the sea-water wnere 

 they are fertilized and in a short time develop into very minute 



