VENUS. 



Plate II. 



Species 4. (Fig. o, b, Miis. Cuming.) 



Venus mercenakia. Ven. testa mhlngono-cordatd, com- 

 pressiiiscula, so?'dide fulvo-ferriigined, in testa juniore 

 fiisco acute undulato concentrice fasciatd, intm in- 

 terdum nigricante-violaced, dense concentrice striata, 

 pracipue ad latera, latere poslico obscure Jlexiioso, ob- 

 Uqite currato, antico brevi, liinuld conspicud, scepe pur- 

 pureo-castaned. 



The trade Venus. Shell somewhat triangularly heart- 

 shaped, rather compressed, dirt\" fulvous rust-colour, 

 concentrically banded in the young shell with zigzag 

 brown, sometimes deep-violet mthin, densely concen- 

 trically striated, especially at the sides, posterior side 

 ol)sourely flexuous, obliquely curved, anterior short, 

 lunule conspicuous, often purple-chestnut. 



LiNN.iius, Syst. Nat. ed. 12, p. 1131. 

 Venus notata. Say. 

 Venus praparca. Say. 

 Venus obliqua, Anton. 

 Venus cyprinoides, Anton. 



Hah. North America. 



This species inhabits the Jlassachusetts shores of North 

 America in greater or less abundance, and, as its name 

 denotes, is used as an article of commerce. Dr. Gould 

 mentions that in the markets of New York and Phila- 

 delphia, where Venus mercenaria is known by the name of 

 Quahog, it is even more in request as an article of food 

 than the Mt/a arenaria. Mr. Say's V. notata is the shell 

 in a young state, marked with bands of zigzag brown, as 



represented at Fig. 4 a. His /". praparca is the same 

 without markings. 



Species 5. (Mus. Cuming.) 



Venus sculpta. Ven. testd orbiculari, snbglobosd, al- 

 bidd, fusco sparsim. maculatd, area ligamenti fused, 

 concentrice liratd, Uris regularibus, crispato-crenatis, 

 subrejlexis. 

 The sculptured Venus. Shell orbicular, rather glo- 

 bose, wliitish, sparingly spotted with brown, ligament 

 area brown, concentrically ridged, ridges regular, 

 crispately crenated, slightly reflected. 

 Deshayes, Pro. Zool. Soc. 1853, p. 3. 



Ilab. ? 



The ridges of this species are a little reflected and cu- 

 riously crisply crenated. 



Species 6. (Mus. Cuming.) 



Venus sph.eeisulca. Ven. testd subtrigono-globosd, 

 crassd, calcareo-albd, concentrice liratd, Uris latius- 

 culis, plica to-planatis, valde irregularibus. 



The sphere-grooved Venus. Shell somewhat trian- 

 gidarly globose, thick, chalk-white, concentrically 

 ridged, ridges rather broad, plicately flattened, very 

 irregular. 



Deshayes, MS. in Mus. Cuming. 



Hab. ? 



The ridges range concentrically over the shell in very 

 i irrcKular flattened folds. 



April, 1863. 



