HomeMy WebLinkAboutJuly 24, 1980 - The Oft-Forgotten ConchJuly 24, 1980 Page 15
The Oft - Forgotten
Conch As you probably noticed if you read
my article last week about beach shells,
the conch or whelk was missing. There
just wasn't room enough to tell about it.
Since no article about beach shells would
be complete without them, we will talk
about them this
week. Our biggest shell, and to some the
most spectacular, is the conch or whelk; or
if you are Italian you would know it as
the scungilli. Now here's a snail that's
eaten and enjoyed by many. Cooked out,
sliced and marinated with the proper oils
and seasonings, you have, in many people'
s minds, the best eating there is. There
are alsopose who have found them
delicious eating in conch fritters, spaghetti sauce
or
chowders. Some time ago when my wife and I
were in Freeport at the famous nautical
mile, with its endless rows of fishing boats
and fish shops displaying every variety
and kind of seafood imaginable, the
cleaned scungilli brought the highest price
per pound of all seafood. Perhaps that's
why we see so many conch pot buoys in
our bays today. It's become a
lucrative
business. Two Kinds Of Whelks
Here We have two kinds of whelks in
our waters, the channeled whelk and
the knobbed whelk. The latter speaks
for itself, for it has a row of knobs along
its spiral, while the channeled whelk
is smooth. The most beautiful part of
the whelk is often missed by many, for
you must see the inside to see its true
beauty. Here the animal must have a smooth
and flawless lining, and nature has tinted it
in an array of pink, yellow and orange
which is missed unless a gull has taken it high
in the sky and dropped it on the beach
and broken it open so that it could glean
its innards. This polished section of the
whelk was the prize section used by the Indians
in making wampum, for it was fashioned
into their most valued money
belts. Years ago I had the good fortune to
be with Dr. Solecki, the noted
anthropologist from Manor Hill in Cutchogue, when
he explained to some of the Cutchogue -
New Suffolk Historical Society members
the part the shells of Long Island played in
the making of wampum right here at
Fort Corchaug. He had excavated and
re- searched Fort Corchaug many
years before and told us much of its
fascinating history, part of which was the
importance of the whelk's spiral in making
of
wampum. Interesting Egg
Cases Another interesting thing about
the whelks is their egg case. It looks like
a skeleton when dried, for it is long
and made up of individual packets. While on
a beach walk with a group of young people,
I picked up a conch egg case and asked
if anyone knew what it was. One young
girl smiled feeling sure she knew what it
was and said, "That's a snake skeleton!"
And sure enough it does look very much as if
it could be
one. Often you'll find these strings of
dried discs on our beaches. The conch
attaches
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and lays its long string of discs, each filled
with a gelatinous mass of eggs. When
these become detached in a storm, or
by clammers or by boats, you sometimes
find them along the shore with their tiny
dried whelks
inside. The next time you see one of these
long, skeleton -like strings of egg cases, open
one of the sections up and pour out a
treasure of tiny little whelks no more than an
eighth of an inch in size. It's another reward
for those who take time and become aware
of the world around them. Once you have
had the pleasure of knowing the
outdoors, you'll never again walk
alone. PAUL
STOUTENBURGH CONCH SHELL - -This shell was probably dropped, broken and eaten
by a gull some time ago. Today, gulls are not the only ones enjoying
this shellfish. They are being caught in pots and sold for a good price in
the market. Photo by Paul
Stoutenburgh We'
re
Involved FRANK A.
ANDERSON Senior Vice President and
Secretary I'm available to individuals, business owners, village and town
offi- cials, school districts ... anyone who needs financial assistance of any
kind for any
reason." Frank Anderson means that when he says it. And with 34 years of
ex= perience in banking, Frank has a lot to offer. He was instrumental in
getting us involved in the Small Business Administration program and has
been personally involved in implementing it
locally. A past president of the Southold Rotary Club, Frank is now
District Treasurer and, in February, was named a Paul Harris Fellow ... the
highest honor that Rotary can bestow for outstanding
service. And outstanding service is what Frank feels The North Fork Bank is
all about. He's responsible for seeing that all our offices on the North
Fork provide just
that. Frank Anderson is involved. And because he is, we are
too. CW
TH BANK &TRUST
CO. PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE ... LIKE
YOU Main Office: Mattituck 298 -
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Quove Southampton Speonk- Remsenburg East Moriches Mastic Beach
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