The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-07-25
CLANS.
Now They Live ana Their Medicinal and
Nutritivc Properties
Especial Correspondence

| biyalve is accepted rs nerve rostorcr
and stomach tonic. As u matter of fact.
so little has been written about 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 tho clam than of any other
| food sheliish.
Two kinds of CLAIMS are popularity
| known-tho soft clam, which is also
called long clam and Nauninose, and
tho hard clam, often called Little Neck
clam, from tho excellent specimens of
the species that arc taken in that dis
trict. But there arc also several species
Of giant CLANS, notably tho giant clam
of the Pacitic-often weighing 10 to II
! pounds-tho flesh of which is dried by
the northwestern Indian tribes and
forms considerable factor in their win
ter food. This clam is somewhat like
tho soft clam of tho Atlantic seaboard
in appearance, and it's anatomy is pre-
cisely similar. Then there is that hugo
East Indian shellfish, enormously call
cd giant clam, whose shells often weigh
ESQ pounds each and which are often
broken into pieces and used by some of
the natives of the Indian archipelago
for hatchot heads, spears, etc.
These facts are interesting, but it
will be much more interesting and usc-
full to tell something of the life, habits
and medicinal properties of tho soft and
hard CLANS which now form so impor-
tant part in our fish food supply
Nearly So, 600, 600 worth are consumed
in tho United States each year, the
greater part of which are taken OH the
coasts of Massachusetts,, Connecticut,
New York and Now Jersey The hard
clam is much the moro valuable
beginning at the birth of the clam,
we find that they are nearly all mono
scXular-that is, they have separate
scxcs-whilc it not unfrequently hap
pens that many are found to be bisexu-
lar, having both sexes in the one ami
NAL. Some Investigators were of the
impression that the latter We're hcrmaph
roditc and could not breed, but this
theory is wrong, and we know that the
biseXular clam is capable of procrcating
In precisely the same manner as do the
European or fiat oysters (Ostrea edulis(,
which are all bisexular, in contradic-
ton to the American oyster (Ostrca
vinganicus) and the Portuguese oyster
lar
Every one who has eaten clam has
noticed the dark, tough, tubular part
that extends outside the shell of the soft
clam to considerable distance and is
also found i'll the more highly priced
hard clam. 1t is supposed by some that
this is the mouth or head, whereas tho
mouth is situated at the extreme other
end Of the body within the she'll How
ever, this protubcrance plays an impor-
tant part i'll the feeding of the animal.
| 1t consists of two tubes incascd in
tough, leathcry sheath The tube near
est the hinge of the shell is called the
eX-currcnt siphon, and tho outside one
is the incurrent syphon. Their business
| Is to draw water Containing foOd)
through the lncurrcnt siphon, from
where it passes along the millions of
hairyl like ella tliat form the flinga
which surrounds the body. thence over
the gills, where the oxygen is taken in,
then around the mouth, which absorbs
tho microscopic food and when these
operations Of filtration and absorption
are completed the remainder of the wa
tcr-dcprived of the food and oxygen
required for the sustenance Of the little
ANIMALS forced back into the sea
through the cX-currcnt siphon The
fringe or nlyriads Of ella to which /
have here referred have also an iinpor-
tant bearing on this feeding process.
The are III constant motion, shaking
or moving backward and forward, and
thus, forming Il kind of current on the
water add impetus to the suction which
is used TO draw the water into the in
current siphon. The tough, scmicOnical
piece Of flesh which is seen upon OPEN
ing clam has use far different from
that which is generally attributed to it,
1t is the foot, is peculiarly muscular
| and is used as lever for opening and
! closing the she'll, as an offensive and
| defensive power, i'll 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 filtcring, feeding proc
ess which | have described, have long
been recommended to persons of weak
stomachs, etc, but the reasons why this
| juice is so cilicacious is little known.
AS matter of fact, the instinct of pres
| crvatlon which enables the animal to
absorb only that which is nutritious is
really the cause why the flesh and Juice
arc such valuable food for tho building
up of the human system. The hypo-
phosphitcs are held in natural solution
i'll both tho flesh and juice, and analysis
proving that the latter (thc juice is al
most identical as oits composition with