SOLEN. 245 



If the Solen be taken out of its hole, and placed uj)on 

 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 extremity 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 im- 

 mersed, and rapidly disappears. M. Deshayes, during his 

 Algerian researches, observed a remarkable instinct of 

 Solen marginatus to swim, when desirous of changing its 

 locality. When it finds itself on ground too hard to be 

 penetrated by its foot, it fills the cavity of its mantle with 

 water, and then contracting, and closing exactly at the 

 same time its siphonal orifices, elongates its foot ; then 

 recontracting that organ, it ejects the water with force 

 from the tubes, and thus propels itself, after the manner of 

 a cuttle-fish, for a foot or two forwards. Then, if it finds 

 the surface favourable, it bores and buries itself ; but if not, 

 makes another leap, to try its chance anew. 



The ordinary size of our British specimens is about four 

 and a half inches in length, and three quarters of an inch in 

 breadth ; those from the Mediterranean appear to be of far 

 smaller dimensions. The species is by no means so com- 

 mon as Siliqua or Ensis, but is sufficiently abundant in 

 certain localities. Amongst others, we may mention the 

 sands between Tenby and Langharne, in Caermarthenshire 

 (S. H.); Exmouth, on the cockle-sands near Lympstone 

 (Clark) ; Anglesea (M'Andrew) ; and the isles of Guernsey 

 and Jersey (S. H.), as peculiarly productive. It is obtained 

 also in the neighbourhood of Swansea (Jeffreys). It is 

 enumerated by Mr. Smith among the shells of the Clyde ; 

 but, if a Scottish shell, is certainly a very rare and local 

 species. 



" On the Irish coast it is local, inhabiting very extensive 



