128 BURMA, IT.S PEOPLE AM) PliODUCTIOS.'i. 



Pinna. 



' Shell triaii<;iilar ; pquivalvc, inequilateral, more or less fragile, and attached hy 

 a lonfT silky ' byssus ' to fixed objects. Tiiis 'by.'sus,' ■when cleaned and combed, is 

 capable of beina; woven into such artic^Ies as gloves or socks, and is one of the warmest 

 materials known. It is, however, too scarce to be ever more than a mere curiosity. 



* ,, CnKMXiTzii. llonsloy. 



* ,, VKXILLIM, Uum. 



Famili/ Mytilidae. 

 Shell edentulous, moored by a 'byssus,' or filamentous cable, to fixed objects. 

 The animals of the genus Mi/tilus arc prized as food, though occasionally in Europe 

 the ' common mussel ' has proved poisonous, for some reason which is not well under- 

 stood. It is most probable, however, that the animals which occasionally have given 

 rise to unpleasant symptoms have been exposed to some injurious influence, such as 

 a sewage diet, or impure water, which may have engendered an unhealthy diathesis, 

 causing their unfitness for food. It is also known that some men have a peculiar 

 bodily idiosyncracy which prevents their eating any sort of shell-fish or even Crustacea 

 without suffering severely. The occasional unwholesomeness of mussels has also been 

 refeiTed to the presence of a minute crab, living parasitically within its valves (and 

 observed by me in the case of Cyrena), but this is not very probable. 



*MYTiLns sjiAE.\GDixrs, Chem. 



This is a large handsome mussel of a dark apple green, and is highly esteemed 

 as food. 



*Crekf.li.a, sp. 



MODIOLA. 



Shell equivalve, inequilateral, anterior side very short. 



The Mudiola differ from the 'mussels' in being burrowers, and often construct 

 a nest for themselves of bits of stones and shells, which they spin together with their 

 byssal threads. 



* ,, Metcalfei, Hanley. 



* ,, sTRiATULA, Hanley. 



* ,, Traillii, Eceve. 



* ,, MAKGiNATA, B. Estuarics. Also Hugli River. 



Famihj Arcidae. 

 Foot large, oblong. Shell not pearly within. Hinge with numerous inter- 

 locking or pectinate denticles. 



Suh-famibj ARCINiE. 

 Foot with a byssal groove. 



The Arc(e are variable in their habits, some mooring by a byssus, or nestling in 

 holes, whilst others are free and move about the mud of estuaries. These last aru 

 much sought for food. 



*Arca torta, Mijich. 



* ,, KHOMBKA, Born. 



* ,, TENEiiRiCA, Ileeve. 



* ,, IMBUICATA, Brug. 



* ,, DEcussATA, Eecve. 



* ,, ruscA, Brug. 



* ,, LAjiiATA, Ileeve (non Sow.) 



* ,, DispARiLis (?), Ileeve. 



* ,, PECTUNCULoiBES, Hanley MS. 

 ,, MYKisTicA, Reeve, A. 



* ,, GEANosA, L. Irrawaddy Delta. 



