57 



CHAPTER X. 



THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DULL. TREASURE THEM ALL. — THE PRETTY 



DONAX. — THE PLAIN ERVTLIA. MESODESMA. — MACTRA. — LUTRARIA. 



MACTRA EDULIS AT PORT EAMINE. — A FRIEND IN NEED. 



DOM"A0ID.aE AND MACTRID^E. 



These families present nothing very interesting to general 

 readers, either as to the animals or their shells. To concho- 

 logists they are important as links to connect other families 

 together by means of those gradations of character which 

 render systematic arrangement so difficult. Every earnest 

 collector will, if possible, possess a specimen of each genus, 

 even if the shell should be ugly enough to spoil the appear- 

 ance of a drawer. There are however hardly any shells, 

 or animals either, that do not present beauties of some kind 

 to a careful observer. 



I. DoNAX. — The above general remarks will not apply to 

 this genus, as the shells it contains are really very 



