54 THE SEA-SHORE 



see a very curious object resting at the surface, 

 and looking just like a little keyhole. And if 

 you step heavily anywhere near it, it is almost 

 sure to squirt up a little jet of water into the air 

 and disappear. Then you may be quite sure that 

 you have found the burrow of a Razor Shell. 



This is a very long, narrow creature with 

 bivalve shells, which are shaped almost exactly 

 like the handle of a razor. It is generally about 

 four or five inches in length and half an inch 

 in width, and the object which looks so like a 

 keyhole consists of its siphon tubes, the tips of 

 which rest just above the surface of the sand 

 when it is lying at the mouth of its burrow. 

 It digs by means of its strong, fleshy " foot," just 

 as the cockle does, and its burrow, which goes 

 straight downwards just like a well, is often as 

 much as two feet deep. So it is not a very easy 

 thing to get a razor out of its tunnel. But if you 

 want to do so I can tell you how to manage it. 

 Just take a good big pinch of salt, and drop it 

 down into the hole. Now the razor does not 

 like salt at all, even though most of its life is 

 spent at the bottom of the salt-water, and it 

 comes up to the mouth of its burrow in a great 

 hurry to get rid of it. Then if you make a very 

 quick stroke with a spade you can dig it out 

 before it has time to get down to the bottom 

 again. But if you should fail to get it up at 

 the first attempt it is of no use to try again, 



