Shells found in Essex County, 57 



ASTAUTE. Sowerby, (a classical allusion to the Syrian Venus.) 



CASTANEA. Latin, resembling a chesnut. 



Chesnut Astarte or Sea Chesnut. 



SYN. CRASSINA. Lamarck. VENUS CASTANEA. Say. Journ. 

 Acad. Nat. Sc. Phil., vol. ii., page 273. 



Shell suborbicular, closed entirely, hinge teeth strong, dis- 

 tinct, two on each valve, ligament exterior. 



A thick almost round shell, dark brown epidermis, smooth ; 

 within, pure white, crenated on the edge. Rare. Beaches of 

 Essex Co. 



My Cabinet and that of the Society. 



Say's Am. Conchol., pi. 1, (a beautiful figure.) 



Obs. Two varieties of this shell seem to have been ascer- 

 tained in this vicinity. I have a specimen from Cape Cod, 

 (Provincetown) with a more arquated beak, and distinctly ele- 

 vated acute ribs, not a little resembling Venus crassatella. Blain- 

 ville, pi. 75., fig. 7. 



The second variety seems to be indicated in the catalogue by 

 Thomas A. Greene, appended to Hitchcock's Geol. Report, thus 

 " Astarte, a distinct species with margins entire." Perhaps 

 his and mine own may prove identical. 



SYN? Astarte castanea vary B, Totten. Silliman's Journ., 

 vol. 28, p, 348. plate, fig. 2, 



CYPRINA. [nearly related to Venus : a classical allusion.) 

 Is LAND ic A. Lamarck. 



Islandic Cyprina. 



Shell, thick suborbicular, heavy, covered with a light brown 

 epidermis ; abundant at Nahant, and thrown on the beaches by 

 violent storms, A casual observer might mistake it for a va- 

 riety of Quahog. The epidermis at once distinguishes it. Used 

 for food and not inelegant in appearance. 

 Lister's Conchology Table, 272, fig, 108. 

 Blainville's Manuel, pi. 70. bis. fig, 5. 



Brown's Zool. Text, Book, pi, 89, fig. 22. Ibid. Conchol. 

 Text Book, pi. xvi., fig. 22. 

 Cabinet of the Society. 



