of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 
215 
in the banks, it is astonishing how few living forms are to be found 
upon the surface of the sand. The cockles are for the most part to be 
found 3 or 4 inches below the surface ; and even the shells of dead 
cockles are quickly silted up and buried, particularly if the valves 
become separated from each other. 
Cockles of every size, from the giant form of a little above 2 inches 
in diameter to the young form of about a quarter of an inch, are to be 
met with. Such large forms as the Barra cockle beds yield are seldom 
to be obtained elsewhere, and it would be difficult to find so many of 
these large forms anywhere at the expenditure of so little work as is 
required at Traigh Mhor. 
The method adopted for securing the cockle is by means of raking. 
The rakes are much the same as the ordinary iron rakes used in gardens 
and for gravel walks, the teeth, however, of the cockle-rake being 
longer. The larger cockles, not being able to pass between the teeth of 
the rake, are brought to the surface along with the dead shells that 
have been silted and buried in the sand. But as the gatherers desire 
not only the largest sized forms, but even half-grown cockles, they are 
compelled to perform an operation akin to hoeing in order to obtain 
the latter. In this way, when many gatherers are at work at the season 
of low tides the strand presents a series of drills and furrows, which, 
however, are levelled in the course of a tide or two ; and the beach 
presents the same even surface as it did before the gatherers' raking 
took place. 
The season of cockle gathering lasts from the beginning of October 
till the end of April, but occasionally a few gatherers may be at work 
on the beds during the intervening months, particularly in May. The 
quantities, however, gathered during these months are so small that 
there may be said to be practically no cockle gathering taking place 
for five months of the year. Sir John Sinclair's Statistical Account 
states the season of cockle gathering for the use of the natives them- 
selves to be May, June, July, and August; but the New Statistical 
Account says, f they commence the use of them in times of scarcity in 
' April, and continue the use of them till the beginning of August.' 
The Ordnance Gazetteer has evidently copied Sir John Sinclair's 
Statistical Account, for it gives the gathering time as in the latter, and 
also closely follows it in other particulars. Men, women, boys, and 
girls all take part in collecting the cockles, and they are accompanied 
to the strand by ponies and carts, or ponies furnished with panniers, for 
the transport of the bags of cockles to the port of shipment. The men 
are engaged in long-line and lobster fishing from February, and most 
of them begin herring fishing with the opening season in May. While 
the men are at the line and lobster fishing, gathering is done by the 
other members of the household; but when the herring season opens 
the women are employed at gutting and curing herrings, or at farming 
operations on their crofts. Agricuitural pursuits occupy their time till 
the potatoes are dug, and some are also employed in kelp gathering 
and burning ; but the population of Barra, when not engaged in these 
duties, betake themselves in large numbers to the strand. 
4. Cockles as a Source op Food Supply. 
For the past twelve years cockles have been exported in quantity 
from Barra, but previous to that the chief use of the cockle to the 
natives of Barra was as an article of food for home consumption. 
Whenever a population discovers that it can easily obtain what can as 
