Qapers^ Piddocks, and Ship-worms 149 



The Sand Gaper or Old Maid {M. arenaria) has 

 the valves of the shell not quite equal, the right 

 being a little larger than the left. 

 The shell is traversed by coarse, 

 irregular, concentric lines, partially 

 covered by a wrinkled, papery- 

 looking epidermis of a muddy grey 

 colour. The shell gapes at each 

 end, and the epidermis is continued 

 back over almost the entire length 

 of the siphons, as though they 

 required protection from the ma- 

 terial through which they have 

 to push. Where the epidermis is 

 worn away the sliell is a dirty 

 white, stained with rust near the 

 beaks. The mouths of the siphons 

 are coloured with red and frino^ed. 

 It is a generally distributed species, 

 and is found in soft ground from 

 low water to about 25 fathoms. 

 It has a preference for estuaries, 

 and has no objection to brackish 

 waters. Large numbers are consumed for food, 

 under the name of "old maids" and "clams," on 

 some parts of our coasts. The shell is about 4 inches 

 wide when full-grown. 



The Blunt Gaper (J/, ivuncata) is very like the 

 foregoing species, except that the shell — which is 

 about one-third less in width than that of M. 

 arenaria — ends abruptly behind as though sawn 

 across, and there is less disparity in the size of 

 the valves. It is found in similar situations to 



Old Maid 

 (one-fifth nat size) 



