232 FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. [48] 



occupies an important position in the bait-supply of the "Banks" fish- 

 ermen, and is sought mainly for that purpose. The clams are secured 

 by means of heavy, variously shaped, iron rakes, having from 15 to 25 

 large teeth, and fitted with wooden poles or handles from 20 to 30 feet 

 long. The fishing is carried on at low water in depths of about 8 feet, 

 and the catch is worth from 25 to 28 cents a bushel. The clams are 

 salted, packed in barrels, and dispatched to the various fishing ports, 

 such as the towns on Cape Cod, Boston, and Gloucester. About three- 

 fourths of the annual crop goes to Boston. In the fall 16 bushels of 

 clams are required to fill one barrel with "meats"; but in the spring 

 only 12 bushels are necessary. The actual cost of a barrel of clams, 

 salted and packed, in Boston, is about $5.75. The shells are also sold 

 at 5 cents a wagon-load, and used for road-making. The capital invested 

 in the business was, in 1880, $10,000, and between 250 and 300 boats 

 were employed. 



Cyprina islandica, Lamarck. 



This clam is the "sea-clam" or "false quahaug." It is found in 

 deep water, from Block Island to the Arctic. In depth it varies from 

 6 to 100 fathoms. It has not been found yet as a fossil in North 

 America. 



The Cyprina islandica is rarely eaten, indeed rarely found, but is 

 available for food or bait. It is easily distinguished from the true 

 quahaug (Venus mercenaria) by its brown epidermis. 



Ensatella americana, Yerrill. 



This is one of the species of the genus Solen, and has been variously 

 designated as Solen ensis and Solen americanus, by Gould, DeKay, 

 Adams, Linne, and others. It is the "razor-clam" or "razor-fish" of 

 commerce; and is also called the "razor" and "knife-handle." Its 

 distribution is extensive, the animal being found from Florida to Lab- 

 rador, and it is common along the whole coast, especially in Long Island 

 Sound, and at Great Egg Harbor, New Jersey. It is fossil in the Post- 

 Pliocene deposits of Maine, Massachusetts, Virginia, and South Carolina, 

 in the Pliocene of South Carolina, and in the Miocene of Maryland, 

 and North and South Carolina. 



The Ensatella americana is an inhabitant of sand flats and bars, 

 where the water is pure ; it is found also, though not so commonly, on 

 the outer sand-beaches of the coast, but generally prefers more sheltered 

 localities. It usually exists at or just below low-water mark, and its 

 large elliptical-shaped burrows, extending 2 or 3 feet into the sand, are 

 easily recognized when the tide is out. If the holes are approached 

 with care at such times, an inch or two of the shell can be seen project- 

 ing above the surface; but the slightest jar of the sand is sufficient to 

 send the whole colony to the bottoms of the burrows; and the alarm 

 once given it is useless to attempt to dig them out, for the animals can 



