48 LUCINID^. 



are two apertures behind, the upper one of which is the 

 largest, but they do not appear to be produced into tubes, 

 or exserted beyond the shell. The foot is long and strap- 

 shaped or cylindrical in front, and capable of great ex- 

 tension ; behind it is strong and slightly lunate. (The out- 

 line shews this as it appears when the shell is opened.) 

 There is only a single branchial leaflet on each side. Rang 

 says, that the mantle is fringed, but as far as I can see there 

 are no filaments ; he also says ' tubes courts et reunis, 1 

 which does not agree with this species. 1 ' 



This is by no means a common shell, though widely dis- 

 tributed around our coast, and in certain localities Very 

 abundant. It inhabits sandy ground in various depths, 

 from near low-water mark down to ninety fathoms. In 

 the south it occurs abundantly near St. Peter's Port in 

 Guernsey (S. H.) ; Exmouth (Clark) ; Falmouth and 

 other parts of Cornwall (Jeffreys and Alder) ; Scilly Isles 

 (M'Andrew) ; Bristol Channel (Jeffreys) ; Milford Haven 

 (M'Andrew and E. F.) ; Isle of Man in from twelve to 

 twenty-five fathoms, and plentiful in places, as at Ballaugh 

 and Derbyhaven (E. F.) ; Scarborough (Bean) ; Embleton 

 Bay, Northumberland, at low water, plentiful (Embleton). 

 In Scotland it occurs at Oban, and in many of the lochs 

 of the Hebrides (Jeffreys) ; on the Zetland coasts frequent 

 in muddy sand, from fifteen to ninety fathoms, and as far 

 as thirty miles from shore (M'Andrew and E. F.) ; Moray 

 Firth in from fifteen to thirty-four fathoms (M'Andrew) ; 

 beyond low-water mark in sand at Strom za, Sanda, and 

 elsewhere in the Orkneys (Thomas) ; Aberdeenshire (Mac- 

 gillivray). "Widely distributed around the coast of Ire- 

 land, dredged in sand in from six to twelve fathoms in 

 Belfast and Strangford loughs. Found by myself and Mr. 

 R. Ball, in lakes of brackish water in largest of south isles 



