21G 
Part III. — Eighth Annual Report 
easily be converted into gold, there is a rush in most cases to convert 
the produce into cash, though the momentary rush may impoverish and 
lessen the supply. Unfortunately, the statistics of the export of 
cockles from Barra have only been obtained by the Fishery Board for the 
last few years, but these and the information otherwise obtainable show 
that the Barra people are like their neighbours in being desirous of 
reaping as rich a crop as possible with the least delay, without looking 
too closely at the effects produced by over-fishing on the crops of 
succeeding years. 
The quantities exported since 1885 were as follows : — 
1887, ... 3719 „ 
The greatest quantity sent off in any month for which statistics are 
available was in March 1886, when 4000 cwts, or nearly one-half of the 
produce of the whole year, was despatched to market. Previous to 
that, however, as much as 100 tons were shipped in one day. However 
inadvisable such a large shipment to markets, now regulated largely by 
the laws of supply and demand, might be, it must be remembered that 
the facilities for transport were neither so rapid nor so frequent as the 
steam-boat services of the present time afford. When the export trade 
first began great quantities of large cockles could be obtained, and of 
course the time taken to fill a bag with an abundant supply of the 
larger cockles is proportionately less than that required to fill it with the 
smaller sizes. Now, as one native expresses it, few of the cockles get 
sufficient time to grow big. The cockles which are now sent to market 
range from about two inches to nearly an inch in diameter, and the 
tendency seems to be to send large and small alike, the latter size 
predominating. Of course, it may be a question whether a bag of small 
cockles will not fetch as much in the market as a bag of large cockles, 
seeing a bag of half-sized cockles will contain at least twice as many 
as a bag of large-sized ones. Even though the former should command 
a higher price than the latter, the question comes to be whether a 
greater number of bags may not be obtained from the banks, if the 
cockles are allowed to grow till fully mature in size, and whether the 
increased price from the larger number of bags will not in the end 
yield a larger revenue to the inhabitants of the island. 
The markets supplied with Barra cockle are, among others, those of 
London, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Sheffield, Bradford, Leicester, 
Leeds, Huddersfield, &c, the larger proportion going to Midland towns 
of England. They are despatched either by the mail steamer via 
Oban, or by direct steamers ' Dunara Castle ' or ' Hebridean ' via 
Glasgow. Each bag contains about one cwt., and the freight per bag 
is 3s. 7d. to Leicester and Pristol, 3s. 4d. to London, and 3s. Id. to 
other towns mentioned. 
Like other bivalves whicn can form a closed cavity by approximat- 
ing their valves, the cockle has great vitality when removed from its 
natural habitat. If the weather be not too hot, it can live out of the sea 
for a good many days. It is thus admirably suitable for transmission 
for long distances, and in cold weather retains its vitality unimpaired 
for days after reaching southern markets. In hot weather they are 
apt to die, if two or three days on the journey to market. 
Their value as food has been known and appreciated for two centuries 
and a half. Venner, writing (Via recta ad Viiam longam) in 1650, 
states : — ' Cockles are not so noisome as muscles (mussels) ; they are of 
1885, 
1886, 
9940 cwt. 
8545 „ 
1888, 
1889, 
2149 cwt. 
4880 „ 
