A N A T I F A A N C II () V Y. 



10.3 



feathers ; another as being grey of various sluides, 

 train whitish to blackish, with the same exception ; 

 and a third as having the shafts of the feathers termi- 

 nated by a produced and flexible horny plate. Those 

 which differ in colour only, are in all probability the 

 same species at different ages ; for many of the order 

 are subject to great variations of colour with age. 



So far as can be judged from the little that is said 

 of them, they appear to be intermediate between the 

 storks and herons, being more aquatic in their feeding 

 than the first, and less so than the second. Of their 

 niditication or the numbers of their broods nothing 

 is said. 



ANATIFA, or ANATIFERA. A genus of mol- 

 luscous animals belonging to the class Cirriporla, and 

 to the order Pedunculata of De Blainville, but better 

 known as the barnacle-shell. The name of Anatifa was 

 first given to the genus by Bruguiere,forthe purpose of 

 getting rid of the name Anatifera, from amis, a goose, 

 and fero, to bear, given to them from a ridiculous 

 tale of early credulity, which supposed the barnacle 

 goose to have been bred within these shells. This tale, 

 although refuted in the thirteenth century by Albert 

 de Grand, and subsequently by other authors, was 

 gravely repeated by Gerard, a writer who lived in 

 l.j/iS, with some additional facts, said to have been 

 witnessed with his own eyes, but which are too absurd 

 to be repeated here. 



Group of Anatifa, attached to a shii-'s bottom. 



The bodv of these animals are contained within a 

 shell, supported by a tendinous tubular peduncle or 

 pipe, with numerous long and unequal tentacular 

 arms, articulated and ciliated, emanating from the 

 summit on one side. The shell is compressed on both 

 sides with five contiguous unequal valves, the lower 

 lateral ones being the largest. Linnaeus included this 

 genus among the Lcpcidcx, and De Blainville has 

 formed of them his genus Fentalcpus. They inhabit 

 the European seas, where they are generally found 

 attached to rocks, pieces of rotten timber, or to the 

 bottoms of vessels, generally in groups, even attaching 

 themselves to each other. 



Th<> peduncle of some of the species is very short, 



but it is generally long, sometimes as much as a foot ; 

 it is very flexible, susceptible of being elongated, and 

 again contracting itself, apparently for the purpose of 

 securing its food, as the animal is not locomotive. 



Bruguiere mentions that the Anatifa take pleasure 

 in exposing themselves to the alternate motions of the 

 sea, and that the species which attach themselves to 

 vessels, prefer doing so a few inches under the water- 

 mark, and above all near the rudder, or where the 

 dashing of the waves is most considerable. Some of 

 the species may be eaten with safety, particularly the 

 common barnacle. 



Several fossil shells of the Anatifa have been 

 described, but they are without those indications that 

 belong exclusively to the genus. They are very rare, 

 and it is very doubtful whether they belong to the 

 genus or not. 



ANATINA (Lamarck). MYA (Linnaeus). A 

 genus of shells. In the modern system of conchology 

 it is classed with the Acephalopnora, and forms the 

 family Pylorideu of the oider Lamellibranckuiia of 

 De Blainville. 



The shell is very thin, semi- 

 transparent, fragile, long, oval, 

 gaping, and much inflated at 

 one end, somewhat resembling 

 a duck's bill, from which it ap- 

 pears to have derived its name. 

 It is equivalve, very inequi- 

 lateral. The anterior side 

 rounded and much longer 

 than the posterior; summits 

 rather distant, hinge indented, 

 the ligament internally attached to each valve on a 

 spoon-shaped process. 



AN ATI NELL A. A genus of bivalve shells, 

 established by Mr. Sowerby, in his " Genera of recent 

 and fossil shells," of which the following is a descrip- 

 tion : " Shell ovate, equivalve, nearly equilateral, 

 the anterior side rounded, and the posterior slightly 

 beaked and subtruncated ; the ligament is internal and 

 fixed to a spoon-shaped process in each valve. The 

 muscular impression of the mantle is entire, without 

 any lining. No clavicle or testaceous appendage 

 before the ligamentiferous process." 



A few specimens of this interesting genus wore 

 brought to England by the celebrated Dr. Solander ; 

 but, owing to their imperfect state, their generic cha- 

 racter could not be determined till the subsequent 

 arrival of some specimens from Ceylon. 



ANCHOVY (Engrau&y. A genus of abdominal 

 soft-filmed fishes, belonging to the natural family 

 Clupeadee, or herrings, but separated from the genus 



Anatina subro^trata. 



The Common Anchovy. 



" herring," of which it used to form part, in conse- 

 quence of certain structural differences, and corre- 

 sponding differences of habit and haunt. Of the struc- 

 tural characters, the most obvious are, the gape 

 extending farther back than the eyes ; the maxillary 

 bones straight and elongated; the intermaxillancs 

 small, the muzzle small and pointed, and projecting 

 beyond the month ; the gill-flap consisting of at least 



