SOLEN. 249 



found buried to the depth of a foot or more, near low- 

 water mark ; it frequently elevates one end a little above 

 the surface, and protrudes its body in search of food ; upon 

 being disturbed it suddenly recedes. This place is known 

 by a small depression on the surface. In many places it is 

 sought after for food by the common people" (Montagu). 

 The mode in which a dishful of these esculents is rapidly 

 collected by children, might successfully be imitated by 

 conchologists, for other than culinary purposes. A long 

 narrow wire, bent and shari^ened at one end is suddenly 

 thrust into the hollows of the sands indicative of the pre- 

 sence of these animals, and passing between the valves, the 

 barbed portion fixes itself on retraction in the animal, and 

 forces it to the surface. 



The species is both abundant and diffused. It is plen- 

 tiful at Scarborough (Bean), and the North (Alder), and is 

 taken from the South of England up to Shetland (M' An- 

 drew). " It inhabits Dublin Bay, and the sandy coast of 

 Ireland generally" (Thompson) ; and is found on both the 

 east and west sides of Scotland. Dead valves are occa- 

 sionally dredged in various depths of water, and as far as 

 five miles from shore on some of our coasts (E. F.) ; but it 

 probably does not extend its true range beyond the lami- 

 narian zone. It is distributed throughout the European 

 seas, and is found fossil in tertiary beds of more than one 

 epoch. It appeared in the British seas during the period 

 of the Red Crag and is a common fossil, though usually in 

 a fragmentary condition, in the glacial beds of the Clyde, 

 Ireland, and Bramerton ; a good indication of the littoral 

 origin of part of these deposits. 



VOL. 



