238 lucinid^:. 



before I can recognize its claim to be admitted into the 

 British fauna. It is so common a West-Indian shell that 

 the circumstance of its appearing on any of our shores 

 (particularly those which are much frequented) is no 

 proof of its inhabiting the adjacent sea. Shipwrecks, 

 ballast, sailors returning home from foreign voyages, or 

 children playing on the sands, might account for any 

 exotic shells being found in such places. One thing, 

 however, ought to be noticed with regard to the spe- 

 cies in question, viz. that the Tellina Balthica (or soli- 

 dula) was mistaken for it by some of the old writers. 

 After describing that species, Lister gives the following 

 locality, " In brevibus Lancastriensibus." Linne cites 

 Lister, and uses the same word " brevibus " (shallows) 

 coupled with " oceani " in denoting the habitat of his 

 T. carnaria. Gmelin tried to improve this, and says, as 

 to the last-named species, "Habitat copiosissima in An- 

 glise sinubus et insularum oceani Americani littore." 

 Da Costa and Donovan followed suit, the former making 

 a further emendation by altering the name to " Cardium 

 cameosum." Whether the Tellina carnaria of Linne 

 belongs to the present genus has not yet been satis- 

 factorily determined. 



The Tellina pisiformis of Linne may possibly be Bri- 

 tish. Montagu described it as Cardium arcuatum, and 

 said that it had been dredged up in Falmouth Harbour 

 with sand for manure. I have a single valve that was 

 found in Cornish shell- sand. It is a well-known Medi- 

 terranean species ; and De Gerville records it, by the 

 name of C. discors, from Querqueville on the coast of 

 Brittany. Gmelin called it Tellina digit aria, and La- 

 marck Lucina digitalis. The sculpture is very different 

 from that of Loripes divaricatus. In that species the 

 strise are arched in the line of growth and thence diverge 



