130 



Family Gyprinid(e. 

 Cyprina Islandica (L.). 



Venus Islandica, L. (177(5). 



Cyprina Islandica, Lamarck (1830) ; et auct. 



Grand Manan, " rarely found " (Stimpson) ; Bay of Fundy, 6 to 90 

 fathoms (Verrill) ; Passamaquoddy Bay (Ganong) ; St. Mary's Bay and 

 Annapolis Basin (Verkruzen) ; Atlantic coast of Nova 8cotia, common 

 (Willis) ; northern coast of Northumberland Strait (Whiteaves). Although 

 recorded by Fabricius as a Greenland shell, this species has not yet been 

 found in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, north of the Bale des Chaleurs. 



Family Astartidre. 

 AsTARTE LACTEA, Broderip and Sowerby. 



Astarte lactea, Broderip and Sowerby (1829) ; and Gray (1839). 



Specimens of an Astarte, which agree remarkably well with the description 

 and figures of A. lactea in the second volume of the Thesaurus Conchyliorum, 

 have been dredged at several localities in the Gulf and mouth of the River 

 St, Lawrence, by the writer and by Sir J. W. Dawson. This shell is by far 

 the largest Astarte in these or in any Canadian waters, and is especially 

 abundant on the Bradelle Bank. Willis records it as having been taken 

 many years ago on the fishing banks off Halifax, and more recently it has 

 been collected by Bell at Port Burwell and Ashe Inlet, Hudson Strait. 



A. lactea may be the same as the Crassina semisulcata of Leach (1819), as 

 stated by Gray and others, but Loven says that Leach's C. semisulcata is the 

 same as C. elliptica, Brown, which Hanley has shown to be A. C07n2)ressa (L). 



On the other hand, A. lactea may be only a local variety of A. borealis, 

 Chemnitz (= A. arctica, Gray), bat it seems to the writer to be distinguish- 

 able therMrom by the "strong and regular costella'," or concentric ribs, 

 " near the beaks," as pointed out by Sov\erby. In the half grown shell, for 

 which Reeve is supposed to have suggested the name A. Richardsoni, the 

 whole surface is concentrically ribbed and the epidermis of a lighter colour. 



According to Sir J. W^. Dawson, this shell, which he calls ^'■Astarte arctica, 

 Moller, (var. lactea)," is found fossil in the Pleistocene of New Brunswick 

 and Labrador. 



Astarte compressa (L.). 



Venus compressa, L. (1767) ; teste Hanley. Non Montagu. 



Crassina elliptica. Brown (1827). 



Astarte semisulcata, Moller (1842); non Leach. 



Astarte elliptica, McGillivray (1843). 



Common at depths of from 10 to 50 (and perhaps 100) fathoms, in the 

 Gulf and mouth of the River St. Jjawrence, from the Bradelle and Orphan 



