182 Edible Mollusca of the Oregon Coast 
ber of years. The activity of the enterprise, however, is dependent 
upon the inclination of the diggers to supply the cannery with 
clams. During the salmon fishing season it is practically impossible 
to get men to dig clams, as higher wages can be made in the fish- 
ing boats. 
At nearly all of the towns on the Oregon coast where clam 
beds are accessible there are one or two men who devote at least 
a portion of their time to digging clams for local demands or near- 
by markets. Fish markets usuaily handle supplies of fresh clams 
for the convenience of the local trade. 
Through the courtesy of Dr. A. D. Howard, of the United 
States Biological Station at Fairport, lowa, some careful tests were 
recently made by a factory of that locality to determine the possi- 
bility of the utilization of the shell of Saxidomus giganteus in the 
manufacture of buttons. The conclusion was that this shell, like 
those of most marine molluscs, is too hard and brittle for that pur- 
pose. 
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE EDIBLE CLAMS AND MUSSELS ON THE 
OREGON COAST. 
I. Siliqua patula Dixon. 
Among the bivalves inhabiting the ocean beaches of our north- 
west coast, which have become recognized as food products either 
locally or in more distant markets, the razor clam is, in the opinion 
of many, of chief value. This clam is still abundant on the Wash- 
ington coast north of the mouth of the Columbia River in spite of 
the inroads made upon it by the canneries. A seasonal restriction 
limiting the activities of the clam canneries to a few months during 
each year has, no doubt, been a factor in stabilizing the razor clam 
on the Washington beaches. 
On the Oregon coast Siliqua patula has for many years main- 
tained itself in abundance north of Tillamook Head in Clatsop 
County where large quantities of the clams may still be taken dur- 
ing the year at periods of low tides. Until about six years ago beds 
of razor clams of considerable size were known to exist at many 
points throughout the entire coast of Oregon. There apparently 
occurred, however, a sudden depletion of the species along the sandy 
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