184 BIVALVES. 



equal auricles ; upper valve flattish, depressed 

 near the hinge, lower valve convex ; the sur- 

 face has about fourteen rounded ribs, is longi- 

 tudinally grooved, and very finely striated trans- 

 versely ; the lower valve is white, tinged with 

 red ; upper valve reddish brown or spotted with 

 pink and brown ; inside white with a reddish 

 brown margin ; length five inches, breadth six. 

 This shell is not uncommon on some of our 

 coasts, particularly at the mouth of large rivers ; 

 it is frequently sold for the use of the table, and 

 is much esteemed as a nutritious diet. It is 

 asserted by fishermen, that they are taken in the 

 greatest quantities after a fall of snow. This 

 was the species worn by the Pilgrims who visited 

 the Holy Land. 



Genus-ANOMIA.* (Plural, Anamia.) 



ANOMIA, OR ANTIQUE LAMP. 



Generic Character. Shell bivalve, inequivalve, 

 form suborbicular, one valve flattened, and often 

 perforated in the disk, the other more concave,, 

 and sometimes having its beak produced and 

 curved over the hinge, and perforated at the 

 apex ; hinge toothless, having a linear projection 

 which is united under the beak to the opposite 

 valve by a strong ligament. 



* Plate IX. figure 9 ; Plate X. figure 1. 



