22. politus, Wood. 



23. Quoyi, Desk. 



24. radiatus, Linn. 



25. rufus, Bosc. 



166 



26. scalpruin, Gould. 



27. solidus, Gray. 



28. squama, Blainv. 



29. strigillatus, Zw«. 



30. subteres, Conr. 



31. violaceus, ZtesA. 



Mgure. 



Solecurtus strigillatus. PI. 44. Pig. 237. Shell, showing in one 

 valve the divergent tooth and external ligament supported on ful- 

 crum ; and in the other valve the obliquely waved striae. 



Genus 4. SOLEN, Linnmis. 



Animal ; very narrowly elongated, with the mantle open widely at 

 the anterior end for the passage of a large, thick, truncated 

 foot ; siphons short, united, frilled at the orifices ; branchice 

 continued into the branchial siphon. 



Shell; very long and narrow, equivalve, very inequilateral , pos- 

 terior end very short, anterior enormously lengthened, both ends 

 gaping ; hinge usually composed of one or two small diverging 

 teeth in each valve, with an external ligament supported on a 

 shelly fulcrum. 



The Solens, or Razor-fishes, present the greatest length and least breadth 

 of all bivalves. The animal is an elongated cylindrical mass, enclosed in a 

 linear pod-like shell, protruding a large thick truncated foot through the 

 anterior gaping extremity, and a pair of short united siphons through the 

 posterior. Between the extremities the mantle is closed throughout, and 

 the creature thus enveloped, and protected in addition to its shell by a 

 strong overlapping epidermis, lives buried in mud or sand in a vertical 

 position to the depth of a foot and more. Aristotle, to whom the Solens 

 were well known, relates that they bury themselves to the depth of two 

 feet, and can rise and sink at pleasure, and that they are alarmed by noise 

 and bury themselves rapidly when frightened. " Such an enumeration of 

 character," add Messrs. Forbes and Hanley, " indicates how carefully the 

 great philosopher studied Razor-fishes, and with what interest he watched 

 their doings and chronicled their fears."* " But the Razor-fishes," continue 



* " If the Solen be taken out of its hole, and placed upon the sand, it immediately prepares 

 to re-bury itself. It stretches out its foot to full length, and then bends it so as to use the ex- 

 tremity as a kind of auger. When the end has sunk into the sand, it draws up its shell, which, 

 first oblique, and afterwards perpendicular, soon becomes immersed and rapidly disappears. M. 



