THE CLAM FISHERIES. 



615 



seen in New York market, but have no sale as food. Their taste is sweetish and not approved. 

 The same is true of the Pacific coast, though there they are said to be of " fine flavor." As bait 

 the razors serve a good but limited purpose, particularly on Cape Cod and along the south shore of 

 Long Island, but there is no regular demand for them. In his "Market Assistant" Mr. Thomas 

 DeVoe, records that during a gale in February, 1839, so many clams of all sorts were sent ashore 

 on the beach " that it is supposed it would require all the horses and wagons in the town of Hemp- 

 stead for months to carry them away." No doubt the Long Islanders availed themselves of this 

 visitation to get much manuring for their sandy farms. 



The razor-shell, like all other bivalves, depends upon the minute infusoria and other organic 

 particles, animal and vegetable, brought in by the current of water that supplies the gills with 

 oxygen. It is preyed upon by several fishes that seem to be able to root it out of the sand, or 

 perhaps seize it when at the surface. In this region its principal enemies are the tautog and 

 skates. The latter appear to eat only the "foot," for in their stomachs there are sometimes many 

 specimens of this organ, but no shells or other parts. I was told by a New Jersey bay-man, too, 

 that the conchs (Fulgur) would pull the razors out of their burrows and devour them. The long 

 and pretty shells are devoted to a variety of ornamental uses, where they can be kept whole, for 

 they are too thin and brittle to be cut up as are heavier shells. 



(/) STATISTICAL RECAPITULATION. 

 20. STATISTICS OF THE CLAM FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



The total summary of the business in "clams" of various kinds in the United States, de- 

 tailed statistics of which have been given on previous pages, foots up as follows : 



4. MUSSEL FISHERY. 



1. THE SPECIES, GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION, AND HABITS OF MUSSELS.' 



Of mussels there are four common species on the Atlantic coast of the United States, besides 

 several species on the Pacific coast. These are the following: 

 Mytilus edulis Linne". Arctic Ocean to Cape Hatteras and San Francisco. 

 Modiolarla nigra. Northern, in the deep sea. 



Modiola modiolus. Arctic Ocean to New Jersey and Southern California. 

 Modiola plicatula. Maine to Georgia ; Gulf of Saint Lawrence. 



The internal structure of mussels, their food and manner of life are not greatly different from 

 that of other bivalved mollusks, and need not be described at length here. Both valves of the 

 shell are alike in shape and size. The hinge or lock uniting them is located in the smallest angle of 

 the triangle formed by the shells, and both of the latter end at this point in short conical elevations. 



Further detaile of the natural history of mussels, as also information about the Unionidce, or fresh -water mus- 

 sels and other mollusks not considered here, will be found in Section I of this report, Natural History of Aquatic 

 Animals. 



