56 GENUS VI. TELtlNA. 



culata, bimaculata, pisiformis, divaricata, cornea, &c. If the 

 teeth are to be principally attended to, we should be led to 

 place here Solen buUatus, Venus dejlorata, and many others. 



The centre or hinge teeth are generally small in the Tellince, 

 compared to those in the Venus ; some have a lateral tooth at 

 some distance on each side of the centre teeth, as in Tellina 

 virgata, radiata, carnaria, &c. ; some have the lateral tooth 

 on one side at a distance, but on the other side very near, as 

 Tellina pimicea, and Remies or fausta, &c. ; many have nx> 

 lateral teeth, as Tellina solidula, striata, divaricata, lactea, &c. 

 The cartilage is external, but rather sunk in a hollow or 

 groove. The lines or marks on the outer surface of the shell 

 are called longitudinal when they spread like rays from the 

 beak to tlie circumference, but those which are nearly parallel 

 to the margin are transverse. 



The Tellina jlumvnalis, jlmninea, and Jluviatilis are by some 

 placed with the Venus ; but they do not agree in their teeth 

 with either, or indeed with any Linnsean genus, and they 

 might with great propriety constitute a new one. They have 

 two or tlu'ee centre teeth in each valve, and a longitudinal 

 crenated ridge on each side the beak in one valve, shutting 

 into crenated hollows formed for their reception in the oppo- 

 site valve. 



Linnaeus has described 29 species, Gmelin has added 62, 

 and Dr. Turton 3. Total, 94. 



Mr. Montagu has removed a few species from this genus, 

 as T. pisiformis, cornea, amnica, and lacustris, to the genus 



