GLOSSARY 
OF 
TERMS USED IN THE SCIENCE OF CONCHOLOGY. 
A 
ABBREVIATED, shortened, cut short. 
Abdomen, the belly. 
Accessory valves, small plates attached 
to the outer surface of the hinge line 
of the Pholas, &c. 
Aculeated, provided with prickles, 
prickly. 
Acuminated, sharp pointed, acute. 
Adductor muscle, that by which bi- 
valves close and open their shells, 
and leaves a mark inside, termed the 
muscular impression. See page 8. 
Adnate, adhering, growing together. 
Alated, winged, applied to shells with 
an expanded lip, or other portion 
spread out, as in the genus Strom- 
bus, &c. 
Alveole, an internal nucleus. 
Ambit, the back of shells of the genus 
Nautilus, Ammonites, &c. 
Ambitus, circumference or outline of 
bivalves. 
Analogous, a term applied to such 
fossil shells as resemble certain spe- 
cics of recent ones, but which are 
not ascertained as identical. 
Annulated, formed or divided into 
rings. 
Annulations, rings. 
Anterior side in bivalves, is that in 
which the ligament is situate. See 
page 6. 
Antiquated, is applied to longitudinal 
furrows, which were once the mar- 
gin, but have been covered up by a 
new deposit of shelly matter; and 
are become out of date, or useless. 
Aperture, the opening of the shell in 
univalves, whereby the animal ex- 
tends itself, and again recedes. See 
page 4. 
Apex, the tip or point of the spiral 
convolutions. See page 3. 
Apiciat belonging to the apex of the 
shell. 
Apophysis, an excrescence. 
Aquatic, belonging to fresh water, or 
standing pools of salt water; in 
contradistinction to oceanic. 
Approximating, approaching near to, 
or near together. 
Arcuated, bent in the form of an arch. 
Area, the surface contained between 
lines or boundaries. 
Arenaceous, of a sandy texture; fre- 
quently applied to indicate that the 
animals burrow in sand. 
Arenose, sandy, 
Areola, a small area or circle. 
Articulated, jointed; applied to such 
shells as their valves are joined, in 
the manner of those of Balanus, 
Chiton, &c. 
Ascititious, supplemental, additional. 
Attached, applied to such shells as are 
adhering to other bodies. Some are 
attached by means of a byssus, and 
others by shelly agglutinations. 
Attenuated, thin, slender, drawn out. 
Auricles, small ears. 
Auriculated, eared, as in Pecten, &c. 
Auriform, ear-shaped. 
Axis, an imaginary line around which 
the volutions of a univalve revolve. 
B 
Barb, any thing that grows in place of 
a beard. 
Base, in univalves, opposite fhe apex ; 
in bivalves, the extreme edge of the 
valves opposed to the umbones, in 
Cirripedes, the part by which the 
shells are attached to marine bodies. 
