THE SCALLOP. 



537 



bag is fastened ; the latter, holding a bushel and a half, is made of 

 chain where it drags the bottom, and of twine on the top portion. 

 The dredges are used in from three to thirty feet of water from 

 the windward side of the boat, with a length of line varying with 

 the depth and also with the speed, the line being shortened when 

 the wind is light, to prevent anchoring the boat, and if the wind 

 is very light the number of the dredges must be lessened. After 

 sailing a certain distance the dredges are brought in one by one 

 and dumped on the culling board, where the contents are as- 

 sorted ; the small crabs are thrown overboard, the winkles and 



Bringing a Dredge on Board. 



starfish thrown one side for fertilizers, and the scallops shoveled 

 into the hold. Thirty bushels a day is a fair catch for a boat, 

 while fifty bushels is considered to be a good day's work. 



Two other species are found on our Atlantic coast, both rare 

 south of Cape Cod, one of which is common on the coast of Maine, 

 is extensively fished for, and is very large. The species now under 



