BIVALVES ANOMIA. 65 



ANOMIA. Anomia or Antique Lamp. 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XV. 



Div. I.— Fig. 6. A. ephippium. Div. II.— Fig. 2. A. caput-serpentis. 



Fig. 5. Variety of do. Fig. 3. A. psittacea. 



Fig. 7. Plug of fig. G. by which Fig. 4. A. rosea. 



the shell attaches itself to 



other substances. Dnr. III.— Fig. 1. A. placenta. 



Shell bivalve, inequivalve, one of the valves flatfish, the other gib- 

 bous at the base, with a produced beak, yeyierally curved over the 

 hinge ; one of the valves often perforated near the base : hinge 

 with a linear, prominent cicatrix, and a lateral tooth placed toith- 

 in, but in the flat valve, and on the extremity of the margin: two 

 bony rays for the base of the animal. 



OF this singular genus of Bivalves, there are thirty spe- 

 cies, many of which are extremely rare and valuable. 



The Anomise differ materially in form: some re- 

 semble the shape of an Oyster, as the A. cepa, A. ephip- 

 pium, &c. all of which have the lower valve flat and 

 perforated ; others, again, are imperforated, and nearly 

 orbicular, as the A. placenta, &c.; and some are oblong, 

 as the A. bifida, &c. Many species, particularly the 

 A. caput-serpentis, when seen in profile, resemble the 

 form of an antique lamp ; and a few, as the A. psitta- 

 cea, &c. are very similar to the hooked or curved beak of 

 a parrot. 



The shells are usually inequivalve, one of them often 

 flattish, and the other gibbous at the base, tenninating 

 in a produced beak, which curves upwards over the 

 F 



