VENUS. 163 



ponderous, purplish or pale flesh colour, and whitish about 

 the umbones; the posterior depression is cordiform, and 

 nearly smooth, and the anterior slope convex, red, glabrous, 

 and much larger than in the preceding species. 



excavata. 10. Shell sub-orbicular, transversely 

 striated ; anterior depression broad, and the 

 posterior heart-shaped and excavated. 



Venus excavata. Gmelin, p. 3269. 



Venus, No. 34. Schroeter Einleitung, iii. p. 167. t. 8. 

 f. 10. 



Inhabits 



Shell about an inch in diameter, and resembles V . excisa, but 

 has the transverse striae thinner and more acute ; the stria 

 also become wrinkled at both ends, and form scale-like teeth 

 on the margin of the posterior depression, which is cordiform 

 and excavated ; it is brownish yellow, or whitish ash colour. 

 May it not be a variety of V. prostrata ? 



spinifera. 11. Shell sub-triangular, with nume 

 rous equidistant ribs becoming- confluent in 

 pairs, and forming short obtuse spines on the 

 margin of the anterior slope. 



Venus spinifera. Montagu Test. p. 577. t. 17- f. 1. Ma- 

 ton and Racket, in Lin. Trans, viii. p. 78. 



Inhabits the coast of Devonshire, very rare. Montagu. 



Mr. Montagu, who discovered this shell in some sand brought 

 from Salcombe Bay, describes it to be half an inch long, 

 and the breadth rather more, and of a yellowish white colour, 

 with about thirty-six fine concentric, parallel, equidistant, ele- 

 vated and somewhat reflected ribs, which, on the margin of 

 the cartilage slope, become confluent in pairs, and form 

 short obtuse spines, reflecting backwards : he says that in 

 shape it much resembles V . Gallina, but is rather longer in 

 proportion to its breadth, and the concentric ridges are 

 finer. 



# # 



Somewhat heart-shaped. 



verrucosa. 12. Shell somewhat heart-shaped, 

 with striated membranaceous ribs, becoming 

 strongly warted at both ends ; margin crenu- 

 lated. 



m Q 



