East Riding Museums

Two large clam shells and one small clam shell. White-buff-black in colour. Purchased from Hull Grundy collection. 18th century in date and used for decorative purposes. Clams are a type of bivalve, that is a shell divided into two parts, with the soft body of the mollusc between them. There are many different types. The largest can be 4 feet across and weigh a quarter of a ton. Some types are edible and are fished in large quantities in north European and American waters.