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SOLENIDiE. 



THE RAZOR-FISHES. 



A SMALL but important tribe of bivalves, remarkable for 

 the extreme transverse elongation of their shells, and the 

 large development of foot in their animals. The razor- 

 fishes, so called on account of their peculiar shape and 

 the sharp edges of their valves, constitute a very natural 

 group, confined almost entirely to a single genus. Their 

 short, united, fimbriated siphons, and thick, elongated, 

 truncated foot, which emerges from one extremity of the 

 elsewhere united lobes of the mantle, furnish excellent 

 distinctive characters. Lamarck constituted the family 

 Solenacees for their reception, associating with the true 

 razor-fishes, however, the very dissimilar genera Glycimeris 

 and Panoprca. Deshayes, in 1839, restricted the family 

 to the genera Solemya^ Solen, and Solecurtus ; but the 

 animal of the last-named genus is too distinct to be placed 

 in the same group with the true Solen. Agassiz, in the 

 same year, included in this family the genera named 

 Psammobia and Sanguinolaria, a still more unnatural 

 assemblage. D'Orbigny has lately placed Solen among 

 the MyacidcE^ alongside of Panopcea, PJioladomya, Mya, 

 and Lutraria, but removes Solecurtus to another family. 

 Such differences of opinion respecting the true position 

 and associates of a very natural and defined genus, are 

 sufficient of themselves to warrant our regarding it as 

 probably the type of a distinct family. 



