322 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
in the community that the French were responsible for the planting of scallops, which, 
prior to this feat in artificial propagation, were not, according to this account, found 
on the Maine coast. That this is a fallacy can readily be shown by citing the existence 
of this species in a fossil state from Labrador to Virginia, and of large areas covered 
with the scallop along the whole Atlantic coast as far south as Cape Hatteras, there 
being no evidence to show that they were originally brought from the Gulf of St. 
Lawrence, the Straits of Belle Isle, or any other place. It is quite plausible no doubt 
that the early French colonists on the Maine coast took up scallops from the deeper 
waters and for convenience planted them nearer their settlements, but it seems alto- 
gether out of the question that they should have transported live scallops from Lab- 
rador and even from France to Maine, and so formed the vast beds that now exist off 
the coast of the United States. 
8.— APPARATUS AND METHODS OF CAPTURE. 
The form of apparatus now in general use in taking scallops resembles in some 
respects a small oyster dredge, and is called a dredge or scoop by the fishermen. It 
differs from the oyster dredge in certain features, however, which au inspection of the ' 
accompanying figure will readily suggest. The size of the dredge varies somewhat 
with the locality, but the figure and the following description may be regarded as 
applying to a dredge of average dimensions. 
The essential parts of a scallop dredge are the handle or “pull-bail,” the iron 
frame forming the mouth of the dredge, and the pocket into which the mollusks are 
received. 
The handle or “pull-bail” consists of two iron bars, which come together at the 
top and form an eye in which the rope or warp is fastened. The eye is 4 or 5 feet from 
the mouth of the dredge. Towards the mouth the bars divide and go to the four cor- 
ners of the rectangular iron frame to which the bagging is attached, and are riveted 
firmly, so that no motion is permitted. The division of the bars is for strength. 
The framework forming the mouth of the dredge is composed of flat iron bars 
inches wide and one-fourth of an inch thick. The bars are fastened together as shown 
in the figure, and form an aperture 3 feet 3 inches by 9 inches. The bagging is 
fastened to the frame by means of holes made in its inner edge. 
The lower side of the pocket consists of iron rings of sufficient size to permit the 
smaller unmarketable scallops to slip through. Usually the rings are to 4 inches 
in diameter. The top and sides of the pocket are made of marline and cod lines. 
This arrangement of iron and twine is necessary in order to prevent the dredge from 
rapidly wearing out. The inferior portion is subjected to rough usage in being dragged 
over the rough bottoms on which the scallops are found, and a bagging other than 
that described would be unfit for the purpose. That part of the pocket made of netting 
serves simply to confine the scallops, and is not required to be of metal, which, in 
addition to being more expensive, would also add greatly to the weight of the dredge 
and the consequent difficulty of operating it. The pocket is 4 feet in depth and in 
width corresponds with that of the framework. It has a capacity for about two 
hundred scallops. 
The warp or rope by which the dredge is manipulated varies in length with the 
depth of water in which it is used. Owing to the oblique position which it occupies 
