1886. } The Scallop and its Fishery. 1003 
Great numbers, however, forsake the protection of the eel-grass, 
when old enough, and go “dancing” about the neighborhood 
till they hit upon the right kind of bottom, when they come to 
anchor, and stay there unless driven away by extraordinary 
winter storms. Under such an accident ‘thousands of bushels 
may sometimes be driven upon the beach, where all are pretty 
sure to die by freezing. Referring to this point a Sag Harbor 
man told me that if possible, when driven before a storm, they 
will work to windward, and he assured me that he had seen them 
swimming in schools ten feet deep. These movements are all 
within narrow limits, however, for the restricted bounds of the 
fishing-grounds are pretty nearly the same from year to year, 
though often it is impossible to see why the scallops should not 
extend their range. The young are far more active and swift 
than the older mollusks. Late in the fall, however, there is re- 
Ported to be a regular migration of adult scallops toward the 
shore, whereupon the fishing begins; but this statement is not 
well substantiated, I fear. 
The size of the young scallops is little increased during the 
colder months, but in the spring a new period of speedy growth 
begins and maturity is said to be reached within a year. At any 
rate these mollusks will produce spawn in the June following 
their birth, and are ready for market the subsequent autumn. 
The rapidity with which they enlarge their bulk, but more espe- 
cially their fatness, or proportion of flesh to shell, is remarkable. 
Thus a bushel of these mollusks will yield only about two quarts 
of “meats ” in October, whereas a bushel from the same locality 
at Christmas will turn out a gallon. ; 
The fishermen believe that scallops never spawn but once, and 
die before they reach the age of three years. Iam not at all sure 
this is a fact to the extent alleged, but if so it presents a case 
Where the generations follow one another so closely that there 
are never two ranks or generations in condition to reproduce at 
Once (except in rare individual instances), since all, or nearly all, 
i : of the old ones die before the young become mature enough to 
Spawn. If such a state of affairs exist, of course any catastrophe, 
= Such as a destructive winter gale or the freezing over for a long 
_ Period of the water wherein they lie, by killing all the tender 
_ Young in a district, will exterminate the breed there, since even 
ifthe older ones survive such a shock they would not live long 
