116 VENERID.E. 
half the length of the shell; they are of equal length, and 
united to their extremities ; both have fine red-brown cirrhi at 
their orifices, which, when the tubes are not fully protruded, 
are retracted, and give them at that pomt a naked or truncate 
aspect; a good lens is required to detect the cirrhi im this 
small species. The siphons are pale bistre, and sprmkled with 
minute red-brown points. The foot is pure white, thickish, 
and when in action of the usual tongue-shaped sublanceolate 
form, and slightly angulated at the heel. A pair on each 
side of suboval pale brown branchie, and of still paler palpar 
appendages are fixed in the usual position; the upper lamin 
are smaller, of less depth than the under, and more coarsely 
striated; the palpi are of the usual triangular form, striated 
more distinctly on the inner than on the external sides. 
Common, alive, at Exmouth im all districts. 
V. ovata, Pennant. 
V. ovata, Brit. Moll. i. p. 419, pl. 24. f. 2, and pl. 26. f. 1; (animal) 
pl. L. f. 6. 
Animal suboval, pale bluish-white, the body bemg of a 
deeper flake-white ; mantle open, with the margin fringed with 
simple thick-set short white filaments. The siphonal tubes in 
a full-grown animal are rarely exserted more than {ths of an 
inch, of the same length and united, each with about twenty 
pale yellow cirrhi, that is, ten long and ten alternate shorter 
ones; the orifice of each siphon appears encircled with a fine 
line, in consequence of each cirrhus having a minute point of 
that colour at its base; the anal tube has the hyaline valve. 
There are on each side of the body a pair of very oblique pale 
yellow suboval branchiz ; the upper, as usual in this tribe, 
much the smaller; they are more striated on the mner than 
outer surface; the palpi are short, small, triangular, and 
striated as the branchiz. Foot snow-white, very long, thick, 
almost cylindrical, and capable of great extension posteally 
and anteally. 
The present species is common, alive, at Exmouth. The 
V. pallida of Turton is exotic. 
