102 WEST COAST SHELLS 



in northern waters, is the king of all the burrowing 

 clams. A pair of shells, kindly sent to me by friends 

 in the vicinity of Puget Sound, measures seven and a 

 half inches in length. The creature burrows to a 

 depth of two feet or more. The valves are oblong, 

 rather flat, and are marked with decided lines of 

 growth. They gape widely where the siphons enter. 

 The left valve has a sharp hinge-tooth, resembling 

 a short horn. The shells are of a dull white color 

 without, but are pearly and shining within. In the 

 north this great creature is sometimes known by its 

 Indian name, Goeduck. 



Fanomya ampla^ Dall, the Ample Panomya, is an 

 Alaskan shell, coarse, chalky white in color, with a 

 black, tarry epidermis which falls off. The shell is 

 nearly square, and is some three inches across. It 

 gapes widely and does not fully cover the living 

 animal. 



The mollusks which are now to be considered be- 

 long to the SolenidcE. They include what are popu- 

 larly known as the Razor-shells, because most of 

 them are long and narrow and in shape somewhat 

 resemble the handle of a razor. Most of them are 

 covered with a glossy epidermis, making them look 

 as if they had received a coat of varnish. Some of 

 the Latin names that have been given to them refer 

 to bean-pods, which the shells resemble even more 

 than they resemble razors. 



Siliqua patula^ Dixon, the Flat Razor-shell, is 

 shown in Figure 80. Beautiful examples of this 

 shell are found on the Oregon coast and farther 



