258 INTRODUCTION TO CONCHOLOGY. 



ramily II. Pectinacea. 



I see, far in the unfathomable deep. 



Strange creatures at their work, — most beauteous they ; 



Blending the mason's and the weaver's skill, 



And his who maketh ropes ; though without hands. 



Yet wondrously endowed, whereby to form 



Their coral dwellings 'neath the raging main. 



None^ perhaps, among the ocean tribes are more beautiful 

 and interesting than the Pectinacea : the genera Pecten and 

 Spondylus especially exhibit a lively display of colours, and 

 are peculiarly interesting as respects their natural history. 



A considerable range of characters prevail throughout the 

 family of Pectinacea ; in reference to which the author of 

 ^ Conchologia Systematica^ has remarked, that in the genus 

 Pedum, for example, the animal attaches himself by a byssus, 

 which passes through a notch on one side of the hinge, and 

 the shell is moreover strongly characterized by a dorsal area, 

 formed by the valves as they advance in growth. In the 

 genus Pecten this area or disc entirely disappears, the byssus 

 is said to be very small, and the shell does not become 

 attached, except in a single instance. In the Plicatula and 

 Sjoondylus a change of character is obvious, in the strong 

 cardinal teeth, and a remarkable dorsal area or disc. 



