394 VENERIDiE. 



The ligament is rather large, yellowish brown, and not 

 elevated beyond the dorsal line. 



The internal colouring is typically of a rich golden 

 yellow, but is often pale, and has usually more or less 

 extensive stains of brilliant purple upon the hinge margin. 

 Of the three primary teeth, the two hinder are bifid in the 

 right valve ; in the left hinge the central alone is invariably 

 cloven, the anterior not being always distinctly bifid : the 

 right anterior and the left posterior are thin, laminar, and 

 oblique. 



Some of the larger of our specimens, are fully an inch 

 and a half in length, and at least an inch in breadth ; 

 these, however, may be regarded as rather exceeding the 

 average size of examples. 



We consider this a locally abundant, but by no means 

 common shell. Mr. Alder remarks, that it is very fre- 

 quent in Falmouth harbour, and at Hclford river in Corn- 

 wall, where the shells are more produced in shape, and 

 more elegantly marbled than the ordinar}' run of speci- 

 mens. It is likewise obtained at Little Hampton, Sussex 

 (Strickland) ; Weymouth (S. H.) ; Portsmouth and Ply- 

 mouth (Jeffreys) ; the Scilly Isles, where it grows to a 

 very large size (M' Andrew) ; Tenby (Lyons) ; Pwllheli 

 (M'And.) ; Clew Bay, in from three to ten fathoms (R. 

 Ball, W. Thompson, and E. F.) ; Birterbuy Bay in Con- 

 nemara (Farren and Barlee) ; Bantry Bay (Jeffreys cab.) ; 

 Youghal (Ball). In Scotland it has been certainly found 

 only in the extreme south-west : Mr. Smith recording it 

 from Ayr, and Mr. Nicol from Loch Ryan. Laskey's 

 locality of it in the Frith of Forth is probably a mistake. 

 Abroad it ranges from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean. 



It is only known as a British fossil in certain beds, proba- 

 bly of Pleistocene age, near Dublin, where the stained spe- 



