SHELL-FISH—OYSTERS. 9901 
cholchua is rendered into Spanish by “ cascara de choros blan- 
cos,” or shell of the white muscle. Cholhua, or cholgua (the 
letters g and h are indiscriminately used), must be a corrup- 
tion; for it is now used in Childe to distinguish the large from 
the small choros. 
The manner in which the natives of these islands, both In- 
dians and descendants of foreigners, cook shell-fish, is very 
similar to that used for baking in the South Sea Islands, and on 
some parts of the coast of New Holland. A hole is dug in the 
ground, in which large smooth stones are laid, and upon them 
a fire is kindled. When they are sufficiently heated, the ashes 
are cleared away, and shell-fish are heaped upon the stones, 
and covered, first with leaves or straw, and then with earth. 
The fish, thus baked, are exceedingly tender and good; and 
this mode of cooking them is very superior to any other, as 
they retain, within the shell, all their own juiciness. 
The oyster, which is a true Ostrea edulis, is found in beds, 
at low water, or taken with the dredge. It is about the size of 
the native oyster of England, and not at all inferior to it in 
flavour. In Agiieros’s account of Childe, he notices this excel- 
lent shell-fish ; but remarks, that the islanders are ignorant of 
the value at which it is appreciated. It is rather curious, that, 
excepting in the neighbourhood of Childe, the oyster is very 
rarely to be met with on the South American coast, while there 
it is in the greatest abundance. We have never observed any 
shells of this fish anywhere between the river Plata and Chi- 
l6e; nor is it known elsewhere upon the western coast, I 
believe, to the southward of Guayaquil, which is very near the 
equinoctial line.* The oyster-shells at Port San Julian are fos- 
sils. Of the Linnzean genus, Ostrea, there are many sorts, on 
all parts of the coast, both east and west, but they are what we 
call the pecten or scollop. At Coquimbo, a species of scollop is 
much used as an article of food, and called oyster; but it has 
no further right to the name than because Linnzeus classed them 
all as Ostrea, and Molina describes this to be Ostrea edulis. 
* Some have since been found on the north-east side of the Guaytecas 
Tslands. 
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