40 ON THE GEOGRAPHY OP ANIMALS. 



(55.) The testaceous Mollusca, or shellfish, are in 

 great variety,, and are much more prized by the catholics, 

 as an article of food, than by us. The British oyster, 

 muscle, whelk, and cockle are almost unknown ; but, 

 in lieu of these, there is an abundance of other species, 

 which we do not possess, peculiar to these 

 seas. The Lithodomus dactylus Cuv. 

 (fiff- 7-)j or date muscle, is found in 

 abundance in the rocks of Malta, which it 

 perforates as smoothly as if the holes were 

 made by an auger. The Pinna nobilis L., 

 or great pinna, grows to the extraordinary 

 length of two feet, and is much sought 

 after by the people of Tarento on account 

 of its byssus, O r tuft of silky hairs by which the animal 

 adheres to the rocks : this, after undergoing a prepar- 

 atory process, is made into gloves and 

 stockings ; but the manufacture, as may 

 be supposed, is not very extensive. The 

 texture of some of these articles, which 

 we have seen, was beautiful and glossy, 

 and the colour, natural to the substance, 

 is either dark cinnamon, or golden yel- 

 low, inclining to brown. C. Ulysses, the 

 only writer, we believe, with the excep- 

 tion of Poli, who has given any connected view of the 

 conchology of the Italian seas, enumerates 180 species, 

 chiefly found in the kingdom of Naples ; 

 while we could add about thirty or 

 forty more peculiar to Sicily. Ta- 

 rento is so singularly rich in shells, that 

 its fisheries are under the immediate re- 

 gulations of the governor. If the concho- 

 logist who may be in Naples visit the 

 fish-market, he will observe noble speci- 

 mens of the following large and hand- 

 some shells exposed for sale only to be eaten ! Area 

 pihsa, Cardium spinosum and aculeatum, Solen sfri. 

 Pecten maximum, Murex brandanus {fig. 8.), 



