149.WHAT IS A MOLLUSK?
“Mollusk” sounds like it ought to be the name of some prehistoric animal, but it isn’t. Mollusks are a huge division of animals without back-bones, and they range from snails to clams, and oysters to octopuses.
They differ in size from almost invisible creatures to giant squids 15 meters long! They may live in the tropics or in the arctic, in deep seas or on land!
148.WHAT DO CLAMS EAT?
Do you like to eat clams? There are many people to whom the very idea is quite unappetizing. And it must have been this way for thousands of years. Nobody in Europe ever thought of eating this creature until the white man came over to America and saw the Indians doing it!
Clams have a boneless, soft body which is protected by two hard shells that close over it like the covers of a book. There are two chief kinds of clams, the long, or soft-shelled clam, and the round, or hard shelled clam.
147.WHAT ARE SARDINES?
Sardines are small, yellowish-green fish which belong to the herring family. When they are full-grown, usually about 25 centimeters. They are called “pilchards” and are smoked and sold like other herrings.
Usually, however, sardines are caught when they are still very small and are prepared for canning. The fish are first put in bins filled with fresh water. Then they are cleaned and scaled and the heads are removed. Next, they are dipped in salt brine and poured into large trays which are passed under an artificial drier.
