MOLLUSCA. 225 



the largest of the British turbinated shells, is frequently 

 dredged up with oysters, and, according to Pennant, " is 

 eaten by the poor, but oflener used for baits for cod, and 

 ray." It is probably the same species which is noticed by 

 the Rev. William Fraser, in his view of the Parish of Gigha 

 and Cara in Argyleshire, vol. viii. p. 48, of the Statistical 

 Account of Scotland. He says it is a large white welk call- 

 ed buckle or dog-welk, and used as a bait for cod. The 

 method of obtaining these shells for bait being ingenious, 

 and making us acquainted at the same time with several 

 new habits of the animal, we shall here insert it. " At the 

 beginning of the fishing (says Mr. Fraser) a dog is killed 

 and singed, and the flesh, after rotting a little, is cut 

 into small pieces, and put into creels or baskets made of 

 hazel- wands for the purpose. These creels are sunk by 

 means of stones thrown into them. The flesh of the dog, 

 in its putrid state, is said to attract the welk, which crawls 

 up round the sides of the basket, and getting in at the top, 

 cannot get out again, owing to the shape of it, which is 

 something like that of the wire mouse-trap. After the first 

 day's fishing, the heads and entrails of the cod, with skate 

 and dog-fish, are put into the creels, which are visited every 

 day, the welks taken out, and fresh bait of the same kind 

 put in, there being no more occasion for dog's flesh." The 

 Buccinum undatum, and the Purpura lapillus are also em- 

 ployed as bait, and in years of scarcity as food. 



This list of culinary shell-fish is far from complete, even 

 in so far as it is a British list. The uses of these mollus- 

 cous animals have seldom been taken notice of by concho- 

 logists since the days of Schonvelde, more attention having 

 been directed to the formation of new systems of arrange- 



