" SHELL-FISH." IQI 



ridges are so broken by radiating lines, that the ornamentation 

 has the appearance of being warty. The various species of 

 Venus have three strong hinge-teeth on each valve, and the 

 inner edge, though at first sight smooth, is very finely " milled." 



The finest of these shells is the large, heavy Smooth Venus 

 (Cytherea chione). It is a deep-water species, found chiefly 

 on the southern and western coasts, 

 where, in spite of its great weight, it is 

 frequently washed up after storms. 

 It is wonderfully smooth, inside and 

 out ; even the lines of growth are not 

 high enough or sharp enough to take 

 off this smoothness of the outside, 

 which is coloured of a pale pinkish- SMOOTH VENUS ' 



brown tint marked by concentric lines of a lighter hue, and by 

 much darker radiating bands. It is all very simple, but very 

 effective. The inside is coated with white, and the muscular 

 and pallial impressions are very strongly marked, though in no 

 way interfering with the general plan of entire smoothness. 

 The edges, too, are rounded and as smooth as the edge of a 

 tea-cup. It is three and a half inches across the longest 

 diameter of the shell, and its circumference, at right angles to 

 the last measurement, is eight inches. The hinge-ligament is 

 an inch long, and the teeth are very strong and prominent. 



It is by no means a common shell outside the districts men- 

 tioned, but I have frequently found it on sandy shores in 

 Cornwall, thrown up by storms, with the living animal still 

 within. I believe most of the entire shells found on beaches 

 have been thrown up whilst the animal is still in possession, 

 and evidence upon this point may be obtained by examining 

 the ends of the shells. It will be found that those which came 

 to the surface with the animal are more or less chipped at the 

 ends, where a Puffin, or other sea-bird, has cracked off a por- 

 tion to enable it to prize the valves open ; additional evidence 

 will be found in portions of the muscular bands still adhering 

 to the valves. N 



