July 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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its egg case to an object on the bottom 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
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