70 
ANIMAL LIFE ON THE 
by coast visitors, but it is then in a soft, not very healthy 
state, owing to the spawning condition Avhich takes place 
during these months. I have seen eager searchers puddling 
in the half-mud half-sand town shore, in the neighbourhood 
of gas works and filthy sewers, where the cockle is sometimes 
found, but in such places the creatures are anything but 
healthy, and should be avoided. Many times do we see 
quantities of the shellfish exposed for sale stained more 
than half over with a dirty, dark lead colour, which is 
indicative of the state of the bank on which they are bred ; 
and although I am not prepared to say the stain is always 
an indication of unhealthiness, still my choice for purity 
would be those whose valves bear the colour of the pure 
sands of their native beach. 
Wonderful stories are told of the cockle's power of 
leaping. Some writers go the length of asserting that it 
has been known to leap from the bottom of a boat over the 
gunwale. For my part, I have never been privileged to 
witness anything like such an interesting sight. I have 
certainly seen him leap, but the acrobatic performance, 
done by pressing the foot suddenly against the sand, is 
simply turning a somerset and rolling two or three turns 
along the sand. 
A popular notion amongst sea-side residenters, when 
they find the cockle lying bare upon the sand, is that it is 
on account of having got into an unhealthy condition. 
Such, however, is not the case ; for it is quite a natural 
thing for him, like all other shore-frequenting creatures, to 
be caught napping, and left high and dry for a tide. If 
compelled by any cause to come to the surface, which is 
often the case, they must of necessity remain for some 
length of time, and travel considerable distances away. I 
have in my possession a fine specimen of the cardium 
