426 ANIMAL FOOD RESOURCES OF DIFFERENT NATIONS. 



grounds were as high as one dollar for a gallon of 

 " meats," or as the fishermen call them " eyes." The 

 largest quantity obtained was in 1877, when it was 

 estimated that from the ports of Riverhead, Mattiluck, 

 New Sufiblk, and Greenport, the shipment to New York 

 ran up to the large number of 40,000 gallons, represent- 

 ing a catch of 80,000 bushels of scallops. The price 

 then, however, fell as low as 50 cents per gallon, barely 

 paying expenses. The fishermen say that the scallop 

 lives but three years ; that the spawned moUusk is two 

 years reaching maturity ; the third year it is full grown 

 and spawns and then dies. 



The scallop was held in high estimation by the 

 ancients and still is sought after in Catholic countries. 

 Pecten maximus is frequently used in England. It is 

 pickled and barrelled for sale, and esteemed a great 

 delicacy. Another species, the quin, P. opercularis, is em- 

 ployed for culinary purposes in Cornwall, where it is 

 known by the name of " Frills " or " Queens." 



The Anomia ephippium is used as food at Languedoc and 

 is there considered as preferable to the oyster. 



Shellfish are largely used by the natives of India 

 when available on the Madras coast, purely marine 

 species are not common, or easily procured, but in 

 lagoons, bivalves are abundant and often collected as 

 food. The land snails, Paludina melanostoma, Benson, 

 and Ampullaria globosa, Swainson, are eaten. 



The pearl- wombs, as the mantles or flesh of the mother 

 of pearl oyster {Meleagrina margaritiferd) is called, are 

 strung together and dried, and when cooked with 

 cassia buds, are eaten with rice. 



All the razor fish (species of Solen) are good for food, 

 8. siliqua, the largest British species, is that generally 

 collected for the purpose. S. marginatus is greatly 

 prized by the Neapolitans, a dishful selling for about two 

 shillings. They are eaten boiled and fried, but are best 

 of all when roasted on the coals till their shells open. In 

 Japan the Sokns are said to be so highly prized that, 

 by the express order of the prince of that country, it is 



