196 NATURAL HISTORY OF OUR SHORES 



orange. This species swims rapidly by the alternate 

 opening and closing of the shell, and as it thus progresses 

 through the water the fringe forms a series of brilliant 

 streamers. It lives in colonies, building a " nest " of 

 agglutinated grains of sand and gravel, under boulders, 

 where there are pools remaining when the tide is out. 

 When the nest is disturbed its inmates issue forth, and 

 are not easy to capture, as they dash about the pool. 



I have kept these in aquaria, and they are very beautiful 

 subjects for this. The shell is about three quarters of an 

 inch long. 



The species shown in the Figure is variety tenera, which 

 is the only one found in the Channel Islands. 



Other species are L. subauriculata and L. Loscombii, 

 the last rare, but all are found between tide-marks on 

 rocky coasts. 



Mytilus edidis (the " Common Mussel"). This abounds 



*s \ f 



wherever there are suitable localities : muddy flats, and 

 fairly quiet waters, sheltered bays, estuaries, harbours, etc. 

 It attaches by a byssus, often forming large clusters. It can 

 live under conditions of impurity which would be fatal to 

 most other molluscs, and as it is largely used as food, 

 especially by the poorer people, gatherings from unwhole- 

 some districts have often caused serious illness. 



Mytilus angulata (the " Hoof Mussel ") closely resembles 

 the latter, but is more angular, and wider in proportion 

 to its length. It is found solitary, firmly attached, and 

 often wedged in rock crevices and on barren shores, nearly 

 up to the highest tide level. 



Mytilus modiolus. This is a large species, frequenting 

 deeper water, and not so common as the former. 



Mytilus barbatus (the "Bearded Mussel"). This species 

 is considered rare, but is none the less tolerably common 

 on rocky shores. It is of smaller size and flatter form than 

 the common mussel, and the anterior sides of the shell 



