518 



Eaurp at Natural ^ 



equilateral, gaping posteriorly, and espe- 

 cially at the antero-inferior part ; umbone 

 hidden by a callosity ; hinge toothless ; a 

 flat, recurved, spoon-shaped process enlarged 

 at its extremity, elevating itself within each 

 valve below the umbo ; muscular impres- 

 sions very distant, the posterior one large, 

 oblong, elongated, always very visible, the 

 anterior one small and rounded, both more 

 or less approximated to the edse of the shell 

 and joined by a pallial impression, which L 

 long, narrow, and deeply excavated back- 

 wards. The animal is thick and somewhat 

 elongated : mantle reflected on the dorsal 

 part ; anterior aperture rather small ; foot 

 short, oblong, and flattened ; siphons often 

 elongated and united into a single, very ex- 

 tensible, and dilatable tube ; mouth small, 

 with very small labial appendages; branchise 



narrow, unequal, and greatly elongated 



Some interesting specimens of fossil Pho- 

 lades are found in Italy and France, but 

 they are rare. 



PHORUS: PHORID^E. A genus and 

 family of Molluscous animals which have 

 generally been placed with the Trochi; but 

 Mr. Gray, in his systematic arrangement of 

 the genera of Mollusca published in the 

 Synopsis to the British Museum (1840), 

 formed for this genus a peculiar family 

 under the name of Pfioridce; having ob- 

 served that the animal, though a Phyto- 

 phagous mollusc, had the annular operculum 

 of the zoophagous division. These animals 

 are small for the size of the mouth of the 

 shell, and have much the general appear- 

 ance of the animal of Strombits; but their 

 eyes are sessile. The foot is small, and 

 divided into two parts, the front rather ex- 

 panded, the hind part small and tapering. 

 In colour they are dull opaque white ; the 

 proboscis pinkish, and the eyes black. They 

 crawl like a tortoise by lifting and throwing 

 forward the shell with the long tapering 

 tentacles stretched out, the proboscis bent 

 down, and the operculum trailing behind. 

 They are numerous in the Javan and China 

 seas, preferring deep water, and a bottom 

 composed of detritus of dead shells and sand 

 mixed with mud. 



The most noted species of this family of 

 turbinated Gasteropods is the PHOKUS Ao- 

 GUJTINANS, or the CARUIER SHELL. The 

 shell is thick and conical; ordinarily na- 

 creous ; the spire sometimes lowered, and at 

 others rather lofty and pointed at the sum- 

 mit i trenchant or carinated on its circum- 



ference ; aperture transversely depressed, 

 angular or sub-angular j edge of the outer 



lip disunited from the inner at the top; inner 

 lip curved, rather oblique at the base ; the 

 columella bent, twisted, and often projecting 

 in front ; operculum generally horny, thin, 

 and spiral, with numerous narrow whorls. 

 Phorus agglutinam, figured below, is remark- 

 able for the singular habit of accumulating, 

 during its formation, different substances, 

 as stones, corals, small shells, &c., which ad- 

 here to its shell. From this circumstance it 

 has received the name of the Carrier Shell. 

 Some of the foreign species are peculiarly 

 distinguished by their bright colouring, but 

 those which are common on our own coasts 

 are not. The animal has a distinct head, 

 with two tentacula, and eyes at the base ; 

 foot short and round. 



PIIOSPIIODES. A genus of birds allied 

 to the Honey-eaters, of which one species is 

 recorded by Mr. Gould : it is 



The PuospiionKS CREPITAXS, or COACH- 

 WHIP BIKD. Like the Mcnura and Wattled 

 TaJfgalla, this bird, which is abundant in 

 many parts of New South Wales, frequents 

 the dense brushes so common on the Aus- 

 tralian continent, threading its way with 

 the utmost ease through the matted foliage 

 and thick climbing plants which it meets 

 with in its arboreal retreats. It is a shy 

 and recluse bird ; but its loud full note, 

 ending sharply like the cracking of a whip, 

 reverberating through the woods, indicates 

 the locality where it is to be found. It 

 is extremely animated and sprightly in all 

 its actions, raising its crest and spreading 

 its tail in the most elegant manner. This 

 is most observable in the spring, when the 

 males may be often seen chasing each other, 

 while they occasionally stop to pour out 

 their full tide of song ; but independently of 

 the Coach-whip Bird's shrill whistle, it pos- 

 sesses a low inward song of considerable 

 melody. The male has the head, ear- 

 covers, chin, and breast, block ; a large 

 patch of white on each side of the neck, all 

 the upper surface, wings, flanks, and base of 

 the tail-feathers olive-green ; the remaining 

 portion of the tail-feathers black, the three 

 lateral feathers on each side tipped with 

 white ; under surface olive-brown, some of 

 the feathers on the centre of the abdomen 

 tipped with white, and forming a conspi- 

 cuous irregular patch : bill, inside and out, 

 sase of the tongue, black ; feet reddish 

 jrown. The sexes are much alike in colour, 

 ;he plumage of the female being more ob- 

 scure, and her size rather less than that of 

 ;he male. The food consists of various 

 iinds of coleopterous and other insects. 



PHRYGANEA : PHRYGANEID^E. A 



genus and family of Trichopterous insects, 

 :omprising the well-known Caddice-flies, or 

 Water Moths of the angler ; their larvae being 

 jailed cad-bait, and residing in portable 

 ,ubes, composed of various extraneous mate- 

 rials. The type of the family (Phri/ganea 

 yrandis), in its perfect state, has a body of 

 a leathery consistence, and thickly clothed 

 with hair ; the head small, with prominent 

 seiniglobular eyes, and three ocelli. The 

 antennae are often much longer than the 



