78 WEST AMERICAN SHELLS 
more of him, I took him home in a large jar filled 
with sea-water and sand, and had the pleasure of 
seeing him dig a burrow and throw out his really 
beautiful siphons. 
Within, the shell is of the purest white, resem. 
bling fine porcelain. The pallial sinus is large, the 
hinge-teeth small, and behind them is a thickened 
portion of shell about half an inch long, which 
terminates quite abruptly, exposing part of the 
ligament. Externally it is white, with red rays 
running from the umbones, while the newer parts 
are covered with a brown epidermis. ‘‘In Puget 
Sound this shell grows to a length of five inches.’’ 
(Mrs. M. S. Drake.) 
Psammobia edéntula, Gabb, the Great Sand- 
shell, is a fine large species, resembling the last, 
but having the beaks only one-third of its length 
from the front end of the shell. The posterior 
portions are broad and full. The external liga- 
ment is very conspicuous, and the hinge-teeth are 
present in spite of its name, two on the right valve 
and one on the left. The specimen before me 
was dredged in San Pedro Bay, and measures five 
inches in length. 
Heterodonax bimaculatus, d’Orb, the Spotted 
Heterodonax, differs greatly from the true Donax, 
being oval in shape, rather flat, thin, and marked 
with fine, concentric lines. Its colors are very 
diverse, white and purple being the prevailing 
tints. It is usually less than an inch in length; 
southern. 
