Cockles, Uses; Clams, Species of. 211 



mussel, where they grow and develop freely without being 

 buried in the sand.* 



Apart from their usefulness as wholesome, nutritious, human 

 diet, and even as bait and as food for some fish (plaice, &c.), 

 the empty shells of the boiled cockles at Leigh find a ready 

 sale in barge loads to be used in garden walks, and for a variety 

 of other purposes. 



The Clam Family (Myidce). All the three British species 

 of Clams or Gapers are found in our District : (1) BINGHAM'S 

 CLAM (Mya BingJiami) is a puny shell-fish, in rare instances more 

 than \ inch by \ inch in diameter, and of no account in our 

 fisheries. (2) The TRUNCATE CLAM (M. truncata) is a much 

 larger gaper, 2 inches by 2J inches in diameter being an 

 average size of adult. In many respects it is like the common 

 clam, except that the shell is cut short (truncate) at the hinder 

 end, where the (foot-like) syphons protrude. It is to be found 

 at a number of places in both counties, but especially at the 

 seaward parts of the estuaries, there lodged in the ground from 

 6 to 9 inches deep. It is said to be a fine flavoured shell-fish, 

 and in some instances may do duty for the next species. We 

 are not aware of any exclusive search for it within our area 

 for domestic purposes, though in northern countries it is 

 relished as food. 



(3) THE CLAM (M. arenaria), for by this name alone is it 

 spoken of in Kent and Essex. The clam of the Scotch people, 

 as we have already shown, is one of the scallops. In America, 

 quite a string of clam names are given to entirely different 

 kinds of shell-fish, our clam being their soft clam or long 

 clam.f M. arenaria is very common, and has an extensive 

 distribution and is plentiful in our District. J It seems to 



* Darbishire in Rep. " Fauna of Liverpool," Vol. I. (1886). 



t Browne-Goodo, U.S. Fishery Industries, 4to, 1881 



J Therefore clashing with Harding's statement "there were few clams in 

 England," Conference Paper "Molluscs .... used for food or bait," Internat. 

 Fish. Exhib., Lond., 1883. 



o 2 



