CHAMA, CARDIUM AND VENUS 73 



ture, and specimens are easily broken. Like most 

 creatures of the sea, the cockles make an excellent 

 article of food. The Basket Cockle lives as far 

 north as Bering Sea, and follows down the other 

 coast to Japan. It includes Cardiuni nuttalli^ Conr. 



Cardiuni californietise, Desh., the California 

 Cockle, has a similar range as the last species, but 

 is reported as far south as Monterey. The ribs on 

 this species are close and flat, and the margin is 

 regular. A variety, co??ioxense, Dall, is reported 

 from the boulder clay of Vancouver Island, that has 

 the ribs so flattened that they are defined only by 

 the interstitial lines. C. pseudofossile, Rve., and C. 

 blandum are included in C. calif orniense. 



Cardiuni fucanu??i^ Dall, the Straits Cockle, was 

 formerly supposed to be a young form of C. cali- 

 f orniense. It was given a specific name in 1907. 

 The shell is small, plump, compact and solid with 

 about fifty small, low ribs. Most of the specimens 

 come from the Straits of Fuca, though it has been 

 dredged at Monterey. It is not a common, shell. 



Cardiuni ciliatum, O. Fabr., the Bearded Cockle, 

 ranges through the boreal seas and descends to Cape 

 Cod on the eastern, and to Puget Sound on the west- 

 ern coast. The shells are small and bearded. There 

 are many varieties, which have received separate 

 names. 



Cardiuni hiangulaturn^ Sby., the Angled Cockle, 

 is a southern species, being found from the Santa 

 Barbara Islands to Panama. It has a heavy shell, 

 40 mm. high, with strong ribs. The interior is red- 

 dish in color. 



