1748. 



to the human ear. They have a confiderable 

 thicknefs, and are chiefly white, excepting the 

 pointed end, which both without and within 

 has a blue colour, between purple and violet. 

 They are met with in vaft numbers on the fea 

 fbore of New York, Long JJland, and other pla- 

 ces. The hells contain a large animal, which 

 is eaten both'by the Indians and Europeans fettled 

 here. 



A CONSIDERABLE commerce is carried on in 

 this article, with fuch Indians as live further up 

 the country. When thefe people inhabited the 

 coaft, they were able to catch their own clams, 

 which at that time made a great part of their 

 food ; but at prefent this is the bufinefs of the 

 Dutch and Englifh, who live in Long I/land and 

 other maritime provinces. As foon as the (hells 

 are caught, the fifli is taken out of them, drawn 

 upon a wire, and hung up in the open air, in 

 order to dry by the heat of the fun. When this 

 is done, the flefli is put into proper veffels, and 

 carried to Albany upon the river Hudfon ; there 

 the Indians buy them, and reckon them one of 

 their beft diflies. Befides the Europeans, many 

 of the native Indians come annually down to the 

 fea more, in order to catch clams, proceeding 

 with them afterwards in the manner I have juft 

 defer ibed. 



THE (hells of thefe clams are ufed by the In- 

 dians as money, and make what they call their 

 wampum ; they Hkewife ferve their women for 

 an ornament, when they intend to appear in full 

 drefs* Thefq wampums are properly made of 

 the purple parts of the {hells, which the Indians 



value 



