TELLINA. 291 



ventricose. The surface of specimens in fine condition pos- 

 sesses but little lustre, and is closely set with very delicate 

 membranaceous concentric striulse, but these are usually 

 worn away, and the valves appear smooth and rather glossy. 

 The colouring is elegant, consisting of very numerous nar- 

 row rays of a scarlet red upon a ground of pale yellow or 

 white. The ventral margin is strongly arcuated; and 

 rather the more ascending behind ; both dorsal edges are 

 but moderately sloping, the convexity of the hinder, which 

 is the more elevated, is but trifling, that of the anterior, 

 after passing the lunule-like depression in front of the beaks, 

 is more decided. The sides are very nearly equal ; the front 

 extremity is symmetrically rounded ; the hinder termina- 

 tion is most bluntly subangulated. The umbones are pro- 

 minent, and often of a rich yellow ; the beaks are acute, 

 and directly inflected, not leaning to either side. The 

 ligament is narrow, and by no means projecting ; the um- 

 bonal ridge and the ventral flexure not very marked ; and 

 the interior is generally more or less profusely tinted with 

 yellow. The primary teeth are small, but the two nearly 

 equidistant (the front one is rather 'the more approximate,) 

 lateral teeth are rather large. 



The magnificent shell (belonging to Mr. Jeffreys,) from 

 which our engraving has been taken, is of more ample 

 dimensions than any Mediterranean specimens we have ever 

 seen, measuring seven-eighths of an inch from side to side, 

 and about three-quarters of an inch from the beaks to the 

 opposite margin. It is more fragile and ventricose, like- 

 wise, than foreign examples, and does not vie with them in 

 that golden hue, which so often adorns their umbonal region 

 and interior surface. The species was first discovered, as 

 a native of the British seas, by that enterprizing and inde- 

 fatigable dredger, Mr. Barlee, who obtained it at Birterbuy 



