398 VENERIDiE. 



to the ligament. The pallial sinus is pointed, or scalpel- 

 shaped. 



The largest of our specimens measured nearly three 

 inches and three-quarters in length, and not quite two 

 inches and three-quarters in breadth. The three whitish 

 markings at the umbones are an useful character for dis- 

 tinguishing the species from its nearest exotic congeners 

 {squalida, &c.). 



We have never had an opportunity of examining the 

 animal alive, but a good drawing of it, which we have 

 copied, is given in Poli's magnificent work on the " Mol- 

 lusca of Naples." He figures and describes it as having the 

 mantle freely open, with thick and slightly undulated, but 

 not fringed, margins of an orange flesh colour. The siphons 

 are long and united nearly to their extremities, Avhich are 

 each surrounded by a circle of simple cirrlii. The tubes 

 themselves are of a deep orange colour with fleshy stripes ; 

 their extremities dusky-stri])ed ; the tips of their fringes 

 black. The foot is very large, thick, and of a dark pinkish 

 flesh-colour. 



Upon the whole, this, although so frequent abroad, must 

 rank with our rarer bivalves, being taken in but few local- 

 ities, and those only in the south-west. Of these Ply- 

 mouth (S. H.), is, perhaps, the most prolific, but other 

 parts of South Devon, as Teignmouth, &c. (S.H.); with 

 Falmouth, Mount's Bay (Jeffreys), and other parts of 

 Cornwall, ofi* which coast it has been dredged in twenty 

 fathoms (M'Andrew and E. F.), likewise yield sjiecimens 

 in tolerable plenty. Mr. M'Andrew has also dredged it 

 in twelve fathoms water Caernarvon Bay, which appears 

 to be its most northern station. Living shells are ordi- 

 narily brought in by the trawling vessels, whence we may 

 conclude that they do not very closely approach the shore. 



