244 The Natural History 



and other Birds are always ready to open and eat them. 

 These as well as the former are great Strengtheuers of the 

 Stomach, and increase a good Appetite, provoke Urine, help 

 the Cholick, restore in Consumptions, and in all decays of 

 nature are very good. 



The Small Cockles are about the bigness of our largest 

 Cockle, and differ in nothing from them except in the Shells 

 which are striped cross-ways, as well as long-ways, they are 

 as good, and have the same virtues with the former. 



The Clams are a kind of Cockles, only differing in the 

 Shells, which are thicker, and not streaked or ribbed as the 

 Cockles are. They are plenty in several places along the 

 Sound-side, and Salt-water Ponds. They are very good 

 Pickled, and their Meat tastes like other Cockles; they make 

 excellent strong Broth, which strengthens the Stomach, is 

 nourishing, breeds good Juices, is a Restorative in Consump- 

 tions, and other natural Decays. 



The Conclis, some of these are very large, but the lesser 

 sort are the best Meat ; and that, in my Opinion, not extraor- 

 dinary, notwithstanding several in these parts are fond of 

 them, and extol them very much: The Fish within their 

 Shells is shaped exactly like a Horse's Yard; of this Shell 

 the Indians make their Peak, or Wam'pum, which is the rich- 

 est, and most valuable Commodity they have amongst them. 

 They breed in a kind of Substance shaped like a Snake, 

 which contains a sort of Joints, in the hollowness whereof 

 are thousands of small Conclis, no bigger than small Grains 

 of Pepper. They are plenty along the sides of the Sounds 

 and Salt-waters, but are not as large here as those found in 

 the Islands in the West-Indies. 



The Musics are much larger than those with us, their Shells 

 being thicker, larger, and striped with Dents: they grow 



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