lib* VENERIB^E. 



half the length of the shell ; they are of equal length, and 

 united to their extremities ; both have fine red-brown cirrhi at 

 their orifices, which, when the tubes are not fully protruded, 

 are retracted, and give them at that point a naked or truncate 

 aspect ; a good lens is required to detect the cirrhi in this 

 small species. The siphons are pale bistre, and sprinkled with 

 minute red-brown points. The foot is pure white, thickish, 

 and when in action of the usual tongue-shaped sublanceolate 

 form, and slightly angulated at the heel. A pair on each 

 side of suboval pale brown branchiae, and of still paler palpar 

 appendages are fixed in the usual position ; the upper laminae 

 are smaller, of less depth than the under, and more coarsely 

 striated ; the palpi are of the usual triangular form, striated 

 more distinctly on the inner than on the external sides. 

 Common, alive, at Exmouth in all districts. 



V. OVATA, Pennant. 



V. ovata, Brit. Moll. i. p. 419, pi. 24. f. 2, and pi. 26. f. 1 ; (animal) 

 pi. L. f. 6. 



Animal suboval, pale bluish-white, the body being of a 

 deeper flake-white ; mantle open, with the margin fringed with 

 simple thick-set short white filaments. The siphonal tubes in 

 a full-grown animal are rarely exserted more than f ths of an 

 inch, of the same length and united, each with about twenty 

 pale yellow cirrhi, that is, ten long and ten alternate shorter 

 ones ; the orifice of each siphon appears encircled with a fine 

 line, in consequence of each cirrhus having a minute point of 

 that colour at its base ; the anal tube has the hyaline valve. 

 There are on each side of the body a pair of very oblique pale 

 yellow suboval branchiae; the upper, as usual in this tribe, 

 much the smaller ; they are more striated on the inner than 

 outer surface; the palpi are short, small, triangular, and 

 striated as the branchiae. Foot snow-white, very long, thick, 

 almost cylindrical, and capable of great extension posteally 

 and anteally. 



The present species is common, alive, at Exmouth. The 

 V. pallida of Turton is exotic. 



