Dainty Mollusc.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 521, 2 August 1932, Page 6

Dainty Mollusc.

Nature Notes

By James Drummond, F.L.S., F.Z.S. 'J'HE OYSTER is -the favourite mollusc

in New Zealand these days. Before Europeans first came to this country, and for at least a quarter of a century afterwards, pride of place amongst the mulluscs was held by the pipis. Their popularity with the Alaoris is evidenced by shell-mounds and middens built mostly near the seashore, or on the banks of estuaries, but sometimes -far inland, even in the heart of dense forests. This refers mainly to a mollusc called the true pipi, or common pipi. It is oval, about two inches and a half long, usually white or pale yellow, and smooth. The other pipi is rounded and ribbed and looks like a cockle.

Although their habitats are different, the smooth pipi usually selecting sandy- mud or sand-banks, the ribbed pipi preferring pure mud, only a connoisseur can detect any difference in their taste. Roasted in hot ashes of a wood fire on the beach, or placed in a tin of boiling water until their valves open, both species are delicate and delicious.