THE __SHELLFISH- INDUSTRY
307
to the quiet, sedentary existence they are he'ncefoi‘ward
to leadAt this stage they are spread far and wide by ,
tides and currents, settling wherever they nd _a suitable
bottom
and in some places there are special areas of
soft oozy mud, quite distinct from the surrounding sand,
which provide ideal nurseries for young or “ seed ” cockles,
Which form a compact layer just beneath the surface.
As they grow, the boundary of the nursery extends on all
sides over the surface of the sand but in the centre, where
there is no possibility of further extension, the surplus
population is, forced to the surface whence it is largely
carried away by currents, part to assist in the restocking
of the sandy beds, and part to destruction.
Cockles have
the common enemies of allsuch shèllSh; they are eaten_
by starsh, bored into;by dog—whelks, and; especially in
their younger stages, eaten’ by gullS; and probably also by
'
.
at—sh Which swim‘ over the 'beds "When the tide is up.
Owing to the exposure of the sandy beds,’ frost-in winter
or great heat in summer are both fatal to the cockle. Storms
'
and currents also do great-damage, the former 'by throwing
_
the cockles above high—water
the latter by wash_
ing” them from favourable to untavourable localities.
The mOst important cockle‘indu5tries in Great Britain
.
_
are in the Wash, the Thames estuary,’ Carmarthen Bay,
'
and Morecambe Bay.
The co‘ckles may be scraped up
by hand, or may be dug, but more often short—handled rakes
with large teeth or scrapers consisting of Sickle—shaped
‘
pieces of iron are used.
It is Cust0mary' in the Morecambe
Bay sherÿ to tread the
bare feet so as to bring
the .cockles to the—surface, While ’a
With a
_
.baèeboard which test—s on _theSand; known as the ” jaimbo;
”
is used 'to force the animals to the surface in some parts
of Lancashire.
_
After they have been gather—èd
and collected
'
in. heaps the: cockles
and then riddled.through
.
.
_
_
_
x
307
to the quiet, sedentary existence they are he'ncefoi‘ward
to leadAt this stage they are spread far and wide by ,
tides and currents, settling wherever they nd _a suitable
bottom
and in some places there are special areas of
soft oozy mud, quite distinct from the surrounding sand,
which provide ideal nurseries for young or “ seed ” cockles,
Which form a compact layer just beneath the surface.
As they grow, the boundary of the nursery extends on all
sides over the surface of the sand but in the centre, where
there is no possibility of further extension, the surplus
population is, forced to the surface whence it is largely
carried away by currents, part to assist in the restocking
of the sandy beds, and part to destruction.
Cockles have
the common enemies of allsuch shèllSh; they are eaten_
by starsh, bored into;by dog—whelks, and; especially in
their younger stages, eaten’ by gullS; and probably also by
'
.
at—sh Which swim‘ over the 'beds "When the tide is up.
Owing to the exposure of the sandy beds,’ frost-in winter
or great heat in summer are both fatal to the cockle. Storms
'
and currents also do great-damage, the former 'by throwing
_
the cockles above high—water
the latter by wash_
ing” them from favourable to untavourable localities.
The mOst important cockle‘indu5tries in Great Britain
.
_
are in the Wash, the Thames estuary,’ Carmarthen Bay,
'
and Morecambe Bay.
The co‘ckles may be scraped up
by hand, or may be dug, but more often short—handled rakes
with large teeth or scrapers consisting of Sickle—shaped
‘
pieces of iron are used.
It is Cust0mary' in the Morecambe
Bay sherÿ to tread the
bare feet so as to bring
the .cockles to the—surface, While ’a
With a
_
.baèeboard which test—s on _theSand; known as the ” jaimbo;
”
is used 'to force the animals to the surface in some parts
of Lancashire.
_
After they have been gather—èd
and collected
'
in. heaps the: cockles
and then riddled.through
.
.
_
_
_
x