OYSTERS AND SMALL CLAMS 47 
white shell is covered by a thick, greenish epider- 
mis. It was dredged off Dixon Entrance, Alaska, 
in 322 fathoms of water. You will notice in this 
shell, as in all belonging to this great family, that 
the pallial line is entire, showing that these crea- 
tures do not burrow deeply 
in the mud at the bottom of 
the sea. 
Figure 27 gives a good ex- 
ternal view of Venericardia 
alaskana, Dall, the Alaska 
Venus-heart. It was collect- 
ed at Nunivak Island, in Ber- 
ing Sea. Notice the strong 
ribs, the lines of growth, and As » 
zee 
Fig. 27, (*) 
the artistic outline of the 
shell. 
Figure 28 shows both an 
inside and an outside view 
of Venericardia ventricosa, 
Gld., the Ventricose Venus- 
heart. These figures, as ex- 
plained by Dr. Stearns, were 
made from a specimen found 
in Puget Sound. The spec- 
ies lives, however, from the 
Aleutian Islands in the 
north to Catalina Island in 
the south, where it has been 
dredged in thirty fathoms of 
water. 
