SOLEN HUNTING. 363 



and, after a few trials, he will gradually learn to detect them. 

 If he have an iron rod, about as thick as a steel-pen-liolder, 

 let him place the point in the hole, and if the hole be the 

 retreat of a Solen, the rod will pass some distance by its own 

 weight. If any force be required to push it tlirough the 

 sand, he may be tolerably sure that he is at a wrong hole. 

 It is in this way that fishermen habitually catch the Solen ; 

 and the amateui" Avill find that considerable dexterity is re- 

 quired to use the rod with effect. It must be suffered to 

 drop by its own weight till the fish be felt ; then, by a half 

 turn of the rod, the harpoon end fixes the shell, and the 

 animal may be drawn up. Having repeatedly tried, and 

 ignobly failed, I could not help admiring the dexterity with 

 which my companion whipped them up, one after the other, 

 scarcely ever missing ; nor would my amour j^ropre suffer 

 me to quit the sands, until I had acquired sufficient skill to 

 bring up a fish in about every three trials. This is the legi- 

 timate mode. It is the only one I find recorded in books ; 

 and from what Professor E. Forbes says, I conclude it is the 

 only one known to naturalists. 



But any one who himts these Solens for sport, and is less 

 greedy of time than of amusement, will say that this mode 

 sinks into insignificance beside the Jersey plan of " salting 

 their tails." Having found a hole, we know that the Solen 

 is at some distance underneath ; it may be only a few 

 inches, it may be many feet. The least disturbance will 

 drive him irretrievably away. We must, therefore, allure 

 him. Placing a pinch of salt over the hole, we await the 

 result. In a minute or two the water begins to well up ; 



