450 CYPRINID^. 



Scotland it is frequent in the Clyde (Smith); and He- 

 brides (Jeffreys, &c.). At Oban it occurred in fifteen 

 fathoms; off Mull in twenty ; off Skye in twenty-five ; and 

 in forty and fifty fathoms in the Minch (M 'Andrew). On 

 the Zetland shores it lives chiefly in from fifteen to twenty 

 fathoms, and occurs on the Lingbank, forty miles west 

 of Zetland, in fifty fathoms (M'Andrcw and E. F.). 

 Lieutenant Thomas takes it among nullipore and broken 

 shells in fifteen fathoms, Eda Sound, Orkney. Mr. 

 Thompson communicates the following note on its Irish 

 range. " I have seen it from the following localities on the 

 Irish coast, two specimens were dredged from eight to ten 

 fathoms in Belfast Bay in 1834 by Mr. Hyndman and 

 myself; Ei-ris in Mayo ; Birterbuy Bay (Farran, Barlee) ; 

 Miltown Malbay (W. H. Harvey); Bantry Bay (Hum- 

 phreys) ; Youghal (Miss M. Ball)." 



Its distribution on our shores indicates that it is a mem- 

 ber of a southern fauna, spreading along our oceanic coasts. 

 Accordingly, whilst we find it plentiful in the Lusitanian 

 and Mediterranean regions, it does not range north of 

 Britain. 



ASTARTE, SowERBY. 



Shell oblong, suborbicular, or triangular, solid, equivalve 

 more or less inequilateral, sometimes nearly equilateral, 

 closed ; surface smooth, or transversely furrowed, and 

 covered by a conspicuous epidermis. Muscular impressions 

 ovate, strongly marked ; pallial impression simple, rather 

 distant from the margin. Hinge composed of two strong 

 diverging primary teeth in one valve, and a primary tooth 

 with a lesser suj^plementary one, which is sometimes 

 obsolete, in the other. Ligament external, elongated. 



