SHELL-FISH OYSTERS. 



391 



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 Chiloe 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 Chiloe, 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 Chiloe, 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- 

 loe ; 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 Linnsean 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 Linn^us 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 

 Islands. 



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