. The edible clams, mussels and scallops of California. Mollusks; Shellfish. — 49 — nearly the same size throughout their length, a peculiarity whieli bears directly upon its habits. The um])os are central in position, the siphons separate and long. Habitat and habits—Tafjclus is a form inhabiting quiet bays, where it is found in mud or muddy sand. Unlike most clams it digs a smooth lined permanent burrow which its elongated cylindrical shell fits snugly and in which it moves readily up and down. A good idea of the burrow may be gained from figure 22. It extends vertically downward some 15 or
. The edible clams, mussels and scallops of California. Mollusks; Shellfish. — 49 — nearly the same size throughout their length, a peculiarity whieli bears directly upon its habits. The um])os are central in position, the siphons separate and long. Habitat and habits—Tafjclus is a form inhabiting quiet bays, where it is found in mud or muddy sand. Unlike most clams it digs a smooth lined permanent burrow which its elongated cylindrical shell fits snugly and in which it moves readily up and down. A good idea of the burrow may be gained from figure 22. It extends vertically downward some 15 or 16 inches, thus reaching loose w^atery mud or sand. When at the top of the burrow the jackknife clam is about its own length from the surface, and the siphons reach the overlaying water through two small holes ending an inch and a half or two inches. Fig. 2:^. The jaokknife cImih ! i. : - . that on the left at the l)Ott(>ni. Note tlie two separate siplion holes at the top of the left burrow. apart. If disturbed the clam pulls in its siplions and by means of its powerful foot rapidly retreats to the bottom of its burrow. If still followed it will commence to dig into the softer underlying mud or sand, though here its progress is not so rapid. Use—The jackknife clam is said to have a fair flavor and is in many places very abundant, so that it may be considered a potentially valuable species. Its use as food, however, was not observed in any of the localities visited. At False Bay it was sold locally for bait by small boys who collected them in an ingenious fashion. A stout wire about the size of a pencil armed with an arrowhead made from an old tile was thrust down the burrow as located by the siphon holes and 4—6453. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Weymouth Frank Walter; Californi
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectmollusks, bookyear192
