PHOLADID.E. PIDDOCK. 7 



Brighton ; that they were much more pleasant to the 

 taste than whelks ; and they only scald or boil them 

 for a few minutes. 



In France, in the neighbourhood of Dieppe, a great 

 many women and children, each provided with an iron 

 pick, are employed in collecting them either for sale 

 in the market or for bait.* 



I find from Mr. Morton, of St. Clement's, Jersey, 

 who kindly sent me much information respecting the 

 shell-fishes used as food in the Channel Islands, that 

 in Jersey the Pholas is plentiful, and is sold in the 

 market boiled ready for eating. In Spain it is con- 

 sidered as next best to oysters, and is sometimes eaten 

 raw. All the Pholades are edible, and a large 

 West Indian species, Pholas costata, is much prized, 

 and is regularly sold in the markets of Havana, as 

 we are informed by Forbes and Hanley. Athenseus 

 recommends these shellfish, as they are very nu- 

 tritious, but he adds that they have a disagreeable 

 smell.f 



The Normandy method of cooking the Pholas (le dail 

 commun) is to dress them with herbs and breadcrumbs, 

 or pickle them with vinegar. J 



Large quantities of this fish are sold in the markets 

 of La Eochelle, and Captain Bedford says that the 

 Pholas crispata is eaten by the poor of Oban. 



* ' British Conchology,' vol. iii. p. 102. 



f ' Deipnosophists,' vol. i. bk. iii. c. 35, p. 146. 



' Cottage Gardener/ vol. i. p. 382. 



' British Conchology/ vol. iii. p. 114. 



