Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-09-21
CLANS.
How They Live and Their Medfci-
nal and Nntritive Properties.

CLAIMS and so neglected has the natural
history OF this mollusk been it is safe
to state that less is known about the
life and habits OF the clam than of any
other food sheltish.
Two kinds of CLANS are popularity
knOwn-the soft clam, which is also
called long clam and Nauninose, and
the hard clam, often called Little
Neck clam, from the excellent speci-
mems of the species that are taken in
that district. But there are also
several species of giant CLAIMS, notably
the giant clam OF the Pacitic-often
weighing 10 to II pounds-the flesh
OF which is dried by the northwestern
Indian tribes and forms a considerable
factor in their food. This clam is
somewhat like the soft clam of the At
lantic seaboard in appearance, and its
anatomy is precisely similar. Then
there is that huge East Indian she'll
fish, enormously called giant clam,
whose shell often weighs $50 pounds
each and which are often broken into
pieces and used by some of the natives
Of the Indian archipelago for Ratchet
heads, spears, etc.
These facts are interesting, but it
will be much more interesting and use
full to tell something of the life, habits
and medicinal properties OF the soft
and hard CLAIMS which now form so
important a part in our fish food
supply. Nearly $2,OOO,OOO worth are
consumed in the United States each
year, the greater part of which are
taken on the costs OF Massachusetts,
Connecticut, New York and New
Jersey. The hard clam is much the
more valuable.
Beginning at the birth of the clam,
we find that they ale nearly all mono
sexular-that is, they have separated
sexes-while it is not unfrequently
happens that many are found to be
bisexular, having both sexes in the one
animal. Some investigators were OF
the impression that the latter were
hermaphrodite and could not breed,
but this theory 10 wrong, and we know
that the bisexular clam is capable OF
procreating in precisely the same man.
ner as do the European or fiat oysters
(Ostrea edulis), which are all bisexulsr,
in contradiction to the American oys-
ter (Ostrea vinganicus) and the Portu.
guese oyster (Ostrea elongata), which
are monosexular.
Every one who has eaten clam
has noticed the dark, tough, tubular
part that extends outside the shell of
the soft clam to considerable dist.
ance and is also found in the more
highly priced hard clam. 1t is sup
posed by some that this is the mouth
or head, whereas the mouth is situated
at the extreme other end of the body
within the shell. However, this pro-
tuberance plays an important part in
tue feeding OF the animal. 1t consists
of two tubes incased in a tough,
leathery sheath. The tube nearest
the hinge of the shell is called the ex-
current siphon, and the outside one is
the incurrent syphon. Their business
is to draw water Containing food, }
through the incurrent siphon, from
where it passes along the millions of
hairylike ella that form the fringe
which surrounds the body, thence
over the gills, where the oxygen is
taken in, then around the mouth,
which absorbs the microscopic food,
and when these operations of filtra-
ton and absorption are completed the
remainder of the water-deprived OF
the food and oxygen required for the
sustenance Of the little animals
forced back into the sea through the
ex-current siphon. The fringe or
myriads of ella to which have here
referred have also an important bear.
ing on this feeding process. They are
in constant motion, shaking or NOV.
ing backward and forward, and thus,
forming q kind Of current on the
water, add impetus to the suction
which is used to draw the water into
the incurrent siphon. The tough,
seEiconical piece of flesh which is
seen upon opening clam has q use
far different from that which is gener-
ally attributed to it. 1t is the foot, is
peculiarly muscular and is used as a
lever for opening and closing the shell,
as an offensive and defensive power,
in the same manner that the foot or
muscular little pieces which are found
attaching the oyster at the center OF
the body to each shell serve to open
and keep it closed.
The juices of the clam, which are
kept pure by the filtering, feeding
process, have long been recommended
to persons of weak stomachs, ETC., but
the reasons why this juice is so effica-
cious is little known. As matter OF
fact, the instinct of preservation which
enables the animal to absorb only
that which is nutritious is really the
cause why the flesh and juice are such
valuable food for the building up of
the human system. The hypophos-
phites are held in natural solution in
both the flesh and juice, and analysis
proving that the latter (the juice) is
almost identical as to its composition
with the gastric juice of the human
stomach it is quite obvious why clam
Juice should be powerful restorative