198 KELLIIDiE. 



ing another lively specimen, which, he adds, " on being 

 placed in water, at once unfurled its ]ong and beautiful 

 fringes, and exserted the ample niveous mantle and foot. 

 This is certainly the prince of British bivalves; the 

 snow- white colour of both animal and shell sheds over 

 this interesting creature the inexpressible charms of 

 purity and elegance. " I can fully sympathize with the 

 enthusiasm of my old friend, although I have not been 

 equally fortunate in seeing the paragon he has so well 

 described. But I hope some of my readers will endea- 

 vour to realize the truth of his description by their own 

 experience ; and it will be more satisfactory, for, as our 

 best of poets says, 



" Beauty itself does of itself persuade 

 The eyes of men without an orator." 



Dr. Leach has named this species Eupoleme cancellata. 

 2. L. ni'tidum *j Turton. 



L. nitidum, Turt. Conch. Dith. p. 63. Kellia nitida, F. & H. ii. p. 92. 

 pi. xxxvi. f. 3, 4, and (L. nitidum) App. iv. p. 255. 



Body clear white and gelatinous : mantle having its edges 

 protruded beyond the shell as far in proportion as in L. squa- 

 mosum ; it is closely fringed with cirrous filaments, which are 

 more developed in front than behind, each of them bein^ 

 studded at the point with four or five white cilia, so sharp and 

 minute as to require a high power to see them, and that only 

 in certain lights : tube formed by a fold or projection of the 

 mantle at the anterior end, being contrary to the position of this 

 organ in the last species : foot pale azure, marked with intense, 

 but irregular flake-white minute blotches ; each end from the 

 pedicle or stalk is of equal length and finely pointed. (Clark.) 



Shell subrhomboid-oval, somewhat compressed, not very 

 thin, semitransparent, and glossy: sculpture, a few minute pit- 

 marks near the beaks, which are only perceptible by the aid 

 of a high magnifying power, besides faint and irregular con- 

 centric striae which traverse the whole surface, and are visible 



* Shining. 



