SOLEN. 21 



chalky-white ; edges thin : paU'ial scar well marked, placed 

 far within ; sinus deep, but narrow, defined by a broad line 6n 

 each side, like the prongs of a steel fork : ^nusmlar scars deep ; 

 anterior linear, and parallel with the hinge-line ; posterior 

 oblong. L. 0-85. B. 5. 



Habitat : With S. siliqiia, but more local. Guernsey 

 and Jersey (Hanley) ; Weymouth (Pulteney) ; Exmouth 

 (Clark) ; Kingsbridge (Montagu) ; Falmouth (R. L. 

 King) ; Laugharne in Carmarthenshire and the adjacent 

 coasts (Montagu and others) ; Anglesea (Pennant) ; 

 north, east, and south of Ireland (Thompson and others). 

 " Alluvial deposits/^ Belfast (Hyndman and Grainger) /_ 

 Italian tertiaries (Menard de la Groye, Brocchi, and 

 Philippi). Its exotic range comprises Norway (Loven, 

 and Asbjornsen) -, north coast of Holland (Waarden- 

 burgh) j Heligoland (Frey and Leuckart) ; France (De 

 Geryille and others) ; Portugal (M*^ Andrew) ; Italy, 

 from Spezzia (Capellini) to Sicily (Maravigna) ; Adriatic 

 (Chiereghini) ; Black Sea (Kutorga) ; Algeria (Deshayes 

 an(J Weinkauff) ; St. Michael, Azores (Drouet) ; Red 

 Sea (Philippi). 



The ancient naturalists had some strange notions as to 

 the sexes of the INIollusca. Aristotle, as is well known, 

 believed in their spontaneous generation ; but a different 

 opinion prevailed about three centuries ago, when Belon 

 and Rondelet described S. siliqua as the male, and S» 

 vagina as the female of the same species. The reasons 

 which they gave for this distinction were not altogether 

 uncomplimentary to the fair sex, consisting in S. vagina 

 being (although smaller) of a uniform complexion, and 

 more sweet-savoured than the other. Reaumur and 

 Deshayes have given accounts of the animal tolerably 

 agreeing with my own.. At Cherbourg, Lisbon, and 

 Spezzia it is sold in the fish-markets, but not so much 



