62 CONCHOLOGIST’S COMPANION. 
fields of waving corn, or clumps of the majestic wine- 
producing phoenix, which cluster round the native 
villages, “‘plead haughtily”’ for the greatness and 
magnificence of Him who called them into being; 
whilst the humble Mya, enclosed in a solid and 
ponderous shell, that enables it to resist the action 
of rapid and agitated waters, tells us, in accents soft 
as the dew of Heaven, that ‘‘ His tender mercies 
are over all his works.” 
The shell of the Donax resembles a wedge. It is 
broad and thick at one end, and gradually tapers 
towards the other: a construction which considerably 
assists the animal in excavating his subterraneous 
dormitory. The hinge is furnished with two small 
teeth, consequently the anterior slope is generally 
gaping. Now, to remedy this apparent inconve- 
nience, a ligament is placed near the fissure, which 
effectually prevents the valves from separating, when 
the inhabitant of the Donax has occasion to expand 
them. The meanest creature is in itself a collec- 
tion of wonders. The peculiar construction of the 
Wedge-Shell; the slight adhesion of the hinges; the 
gaping of the valves; the ligament which prevents 
them from separating; and the power arising from 
all these, of readily procuring his food, or changing 
his position, afford, when compared with the dissi- 
milar construction of other shell-fish, convincing 
