30 



MARINE AND FISHERIES 



1-2 EDWARD VII., A. 1902 



or be subject to the ravages of gulls, cormorants, crows &c. In places along the New 

 England coast pigs systematically visit, root up, and eat the clams. In Greenland they 

 are sought after by the walrus, arctic fox, and birds. One has but to examine the con- 

 tents of the stomachs of fishes to find that many of these like the cod, also eat clams 

 when they can get the chance. The siphons of Mya are often to be found in the 

 stomachs of the flounder and the sculpin, and the first also eats young clams. Star fish, 

 one of the greatest enemies of the musse], also attack the clam, and the large, round 

 whelk bores holes into the shells through which it eats the flesh. Crabs should also be 

 mentioned among the enemies of the clam. I have already referred to the shell heaps 

 thrown from the wigwams of Indians as an indication of the number consumed by them. 

 In some places the heaps consist chiefly of clam shells. I shall give in another place some 

 idea of the number of clams used by the white man, but I should mention here that his 

 ravages depend not entirely upon the amount dug for his own use or for sale to others, 

 but that he leaves exposed great numbers of rejected clams to die in the sun or to fall 

 a prey to fishes, &c., with the returning tide. 



METHODS OF PROCURING CLAMS. 



Formerly the common method of procuring clams was by means of a spade, or better, 

 a flat-tined fork. At some places along the United States coast they have been ploughed 

 out and then picked up. At present the instrument largely used is the so-called ' clam 

 hoe.' Plate IV., Fig. 10. This is shaped like a hoe but has four flat tines about 10 

 inches long with the two outer ones about seven inches apart. The handle is only 

 about 15 inches in length and makes with the tines less than a right angle. The tines 

 are pressed, by a wriggling motion, into the ground, then the handle is raised and pulled 

 and the clams picked from the dirt and put into a clam basket, which, when full, is carried 

 and emptied into a sack or barrel near by. Before the return of the tide these are 

 collected and drawn away by a horse and wagon. If the clams are to be kept a day or 

 two before being shipped, this can be conveniently done by leaving them, in sacks, where 

 the tide covers them for a good part of the day. 



CLAM FISHERMEN. 



On the Canadian coast the clam diggers may be classified as : — 



1. Local clam fishermen. 



2. Nova Scotia bait fishermen. 



The local clam fishermen supply the villages and residents along the coast, or now 

 and again fill orders to hotels, &c., farther inland, and also dig and sell to the clam 

 dealers who make regular shipments to shopkeepers in Boston. For Passamaquoddy 

 Bay the industry is centred in St. Andrews. The number of men engaged varies from 

 time to time, but perhaps averages about 25. These are often line-fishermen or their 

 sons, but others often engage in this work through the short season when it pays 

 them, and return to their ordinary occupation when the clam business ceases. 



The Nova Scotia bait fishermen are those who come annually from coast towns in 

 Nova Scotia to procure clams that are taken to be used as bait for cod on the banks of 

 Newfoundland. This year the number of vessels to visit Passamaquoddy Bay was four- 

 teen, and the number of men 131. A fuller statement will be given under the next 

 heading. 



USES OF THE CLAM. 



1. Clams as Food. — Next to the Vertebrates, the most valuable subdivision of the 

 animal kingdom is the Mollusca. Some of the uses to which they have been put are 

 the following : Food, bait, fertilizers, ornaments, money, dyes, dishes, &c. Investiga- 

 tions into the prehistoric conditions of man show how long ago and how widely Mollusks 



