178 



KELLY-SHELLS. 



Kellia Laperotisii^ Desh., Lap-er-ou'-si-i. Shell 

 somewhat oblong in shape, thin, nearly smooth; when 

 living it is covered with a shining, light brown epi- 

 dermis. Ligament small, internal. This little nest- 

 ler lives in sheltered places, like holes in the rocks; 

 often in the deserted holes of the Piddocks or Rock- 

 borers. I once found a whole colony of them, of 

 different ages, all living happily together within the 

 valves of an old clam shell. Its length is half an 

 inch or less. 



Lasea rubra^ Mont., Las'-e-a ni'-bra. This little 

 mollusk, which has most of the habits of the last 

 species, is covered by two oval valves, one-eighth of 

 an inch in length. Reddish brown in color. It is a 

 northern shell and is identical with the British species, 

 of which we read that "it is viviparous, and lives as 

 much out of the sea as in it." 



Tellmiya himida^ Cpr., Tel-lim'-i-a tu'-mi-da. Very 

 minute, wedge-shaped, brownish white, northern. 



A pure white shell, regularly marked with fine, 

 concentric lines, is shown in Fig. 151. Its name is 

 Liicina Calif ornica^ Conr., Lu-si'-na Cal-i-for'-ni-ca. 

 In shape it is nearly circular, and it varies in size 

 from the diameter of a dime to that 

 of a half-dollar. The cardinal hinge- 

 teeth are small, while the lateral 



are 

 ones are 



strong. 



The ligament is 

 external, and the hunile in this spe- 

 cies belongs wholly to the right 

 Fig. 151. valve. The hmule is the little heart- 



shaped impression in front of and just under the beaks, 

 In most species, when visible at all, it is divided 

 equally between the two valves. The forward muscle 

 scar is long and narrow, and the pallial line is entire. 



