to attempt to dig them up, they back
away from you so skilfully. After many -vain
efforts to secure one of these creatm-es alive, I
mentioned my failures to the late Professor
Edward Forbes. ' Oh,' he said, with a wag-
gish smile, ' all you have to do is to put a
Httle salt over their holes, and they Avill come
out.' I remembered the story of putting salt
on birds' tails ; and although I resolved secretly
to follow my friend's plan, it was so simple I
had not the courage to tell him that I would. I
had, however, no sooner got to the seaside than
I quietly stole to the pantry, and pocketed
some salt, and then went alone at low tide to
the sandy shore. As soon as I espied a hole I
looked round, for I almost fancied I heard my
friend chuckle over my shoulder; however,
nobody was there, and down went a pinch of
salt over the hole. What I now beheld almost
staggered me. Was it the ghost of some
razor- fish whose head I had chopped off in
digging that now rose before me to arraign me
for my malice, or was it a real live razor-fish
that now raised its long shell at least half out
of the sand ? I grasped it, fully expecting it
would vanish, but I found I had won my prize.
It was a real solid specimen of the species Solen
maximus that I had in my hand. I soon had a
number of others, which were all carried home
in triimiph. Of course, there were more than
were required for the purposes of science, and
at the suggestion of a Scotch friend the animals
not wanted were made into soup. When the
soup was brought to table, our Scotch friend
vowed it particularly fine, and ate a basinful with
at least twenty razor-fish in it. One table-
spoonful satisfied the ladies, whilst I and an
English friend declared — against our con-
sciences, I do verUy believe — that we had never
eaten anything so excellent. I counted the
number of the creatures I was able to swallow ;
it amounted to exactly three. After a tumbler
of whisky and water — taken, of course, medi-
cinally— arrangements were made for a di-edge
in the morning. The Scotchman was up at
five, but I and my English friend could not
make our appearance. Nightmare and other
symptoms of indigestion had fauiy upset us,
and unfitted us for anything so ticklish as a
dredging excursion. Now, I do not wish to
say anything against razor-fish as an article
of diet, but, from what I have told, they
would seem to possess an amount of resistance
to the ordinary digestive activity of the stomach
that would make it highly desirable to ensure,
before taking them, such a digestion as a
Highlander fresh from his mountain- wUds is
known to possess."
Another favoirrite bivalve is the Cockle. This
sheU-fish is very abundant on most parts of our
coast, especially where there is sand, and upon
the banks of estuaries. It is highly esteemed
both by rich and poor, and by some is preferred
to the oyster. It is equally good raw or cooked.
It may be boiled or roasted, eaten alone, or as
sauce to other fish. It may be eaten with im-
punity in almost any numbers, and has not
unfrequently staved off the pressure of starva-
tion amongst the poor of our coasts. By culture
it attains to an immense size.
"One of our neglected edible sheU-fish is the
Page 1783
Presented as published in 1892. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
to attempt to dig them up, they back away from you so skilfully. After many vain efforts to secure one of these creatures alive, I mentioned my failures to the late Professor Edward Forbes. ' Oh,' he said, with a waggish smile, ' all you have to do is to put a Httle salt over their holes, and they will come out.' I remembered the story of putting salt on birds' tails ; and although I resolved secretly to follow my friend's plan, it was so simple I had not the courage to tell him that I would. I had, however, no sooner got to the seaside than I quietly stole to the pantry, and pocketed some salt, and then went alone at low tide to the sandy shore. As soon as I espied a hole I looked round, for I almost fancied I heard my friend chuckle over my shoulder; however, nobody was there, and down went a pinch of salt over the hole. What I now beheld almost staggered me. Was it the ghost of some razor- fish whose head I had chopped off in digging that now rose before me to arraign me for my malice, or was it a real live razor-fish that now raised its long shell at least half out of the sand ? I grasped it, fully expecting it would vanish, but I found I had won my prize. It was a real solid specimen of the species Solen maximus that I had in my hand. I soon had a number of others, which were all carried home in triimiph. Of course, there were more than were required for the purposes of science, and at the suggestion of a Scotch friend the animals not wanted were made into soup. When the soup was brought to table, our Scotch friend vowed it particularly fine, and ate a basinful with at least twenty razor-fish in it. One tablespoonful satisfied the ladies, whilst I and an English friend declared — against our consciences, I do verUy believe — that we had never eaten anything so excellent. I counted the number of the creatures I was able to swallow ; it amounted to exactly three. After a tumbler of whisky and water — taken, of course, medicinally— arrangements were made for a dredge in the morning. The Scotchman was up at five, but I and my English friend could not make our appearance. Nightmare and other symptoms of indigestion had fairly upset us, and unfitted us for anything so ticklish as a dredging excursion. Now, I do not wish to say anything against razor-fish as an article of diet, but, from what I have told, they would seem to possess an amount of resistance to the ordinary digestive activity of the stomach that would make it highly desirable to ensure, before taking them, such a digestion as a Highlander fresh from his mountain- wilds is known to possess."
Another favourite bivalve is the Cockle. This sheU-fish is very abundant on most parts of our coast, especially where there is sand, and upon the banks of estuaries. It is highly esteemed both by rich and poor, and by some is preferred to the oyster. It is equally good raw or cooked. It may be boiled or roasted, eaten alone, or as sauce to other fish. It may be eaten with impunity in almost any numbers, and has not unfrequently staved off the pressure of starvation amongst the poor of our coasts. By culture it attains to an immense size.
"One of our neglected edible sheU-fish is the