The Scallops 347 



Life begins in June. July, or early August. One year 

 from its beginning the scallop normally spawns. It lives 

 on until about the first of the following March, beyond 

 which time there are very few chances of its survival. 

 Some members of its generation perish earlier, the great 

 majority die with it, when there begin to be some promises 

 of spring, while a very few companions, undiscouraged 

 even by a New England winter, are able to reach a sec- 

 ond spawning season, soon after which they also perish. 



All this has an important economic bearing, briefly put 

 by Mr. Belding as follows : " All scallops less than one 

 year old must be protected [by law], for these furnish 

 practically all the spawn for the following year. Only 

 scallops under this age need protection. ... It does 

 no harm to capture scallops more than one year old; in 

 fact, it would be an economic loss if they were not taken, 

 as nearly all die before a second [dredging] season." 



It is an interesting biological fact that in Pecten ir- 

 radians we have an instance of an invertebrate animal 

 the existence of which beyond its breeding time is of no 

 value to its offspring, yet continuing to live nearly half 

 its life after that period. If, from the fact that a few 

 live to breed a second time, it may be supposed that all 

 formerly performed the reproductive function more than 

 once, there still remains to be explained the abbreviation 

 of the life period, and the fact that it now ends just be- 

 fore instead of just after the reproductive act, a condition 

 that might possibly be detrimental because of so large a 

 food consumption, and at any rate certainly is not useful 

 to the species. 



Paley undoubtedly would have seen in this an evidence 

 of the benevolence of nature in allowing this highly or- 

 ganized creature to live on into a placid old age to enjoy 



