CARDJUM, COCKLE, OR HEARTSHELL. 149 



posed almost entirely of fragments of cockle shells. 

 Cockles arc consumed with great avidity by people 

 in all parts of the country, and any one may well 

 remember the old women's stalls and the oft- 

 repeated cry of the owners who tickle the palates 

 of their patrons with " Cockles, cockles, pickled 

 cockles, ; who'll buy ?" There are ten varieties 

 of this very useful article of consumption, and 

 although a variety of shells arc as justly entitled 

 to the appellation KupSia, or heart-like, as those 

 which constitute the genus cardium, still the 

 latter all possess this character, and are dis- 

 tinguished by their hinges. Cockles are taken 

 by dredging, or else by hoeing, parties often being 

 made up to go out and hoe for them ; they are 

 usually found just beneath the surface, a small 

 hole in the sand or mud pointing out to the 

 experienced eye the spot in which the cockle is 

 to be dug for. 



