432 THE COMMON RAZOR-SHELL, 



Birmingham gun has taken the place of the Indian bow, the Sheffield hatchet the place of 

 the tomahawk, and the Witney blanket that of the original bear skin. 



About one hundred and seventy species of Venus-shells are known, spread throughout 

 all parts of the world, and ranging from low- water mark to a depth of one hundred and 

 forty fathoms. In the figure the animal is shown as it appears when crawling, the 

 slightly diverging ends of the double siphon appearing in front, and unequal in size, one 

 of the peculiarities of the genus. 



THE beautiful BRITISH CYTHEREA is seen in the foreground of the illustration, its 

 elongated siphons projecting towards the right like the tubes of a double-barrelled gun, 

 and their orifices surrounded with a fringe of tentacular appendages, and the thick sturdy 

 foot appearing behind. This genus is closely allied to the preceding, and is therefore 

 appropriately named Cytherea, that being one of the classical epithets applied to Venus 

 in consequence of her predilection for the island of Cytherea in the JEge&u Sea. In this 

 enimal the two portions of the siphon do not diversre. 



IN the family of the Mactridse, or Trough-shells, the valves are of equal dimensions, 

 and rather triangular in shape. The animal has the two channels of the siphon united 

 as far as the extremity, and the foot is ample and strong. 



The common Trough shell is a British species, and is found on many of our coasts, 

 always preferring those of a sandy nature, where it can hide itself by sinking just below 

 the surface. The foot is capable of considerable motion, and can be extended to some 

 length ; and when the movements are rapidly performed, it enables the creature to jump 

 about nearly as actively as the cockle. The Trough-shells are found in all parts of the 

 world, and in some coasts of our own islands are so plentiful that they are gathered for 

 the purpose of feeding pigs. The species which is usually employed for this purpose is 

 Mactra subtruncdta, and, like the cockle, it is taken at low water. Although so usually 

 inhabiting the zones just below and above low-water mark, these shells are sometimes 

 found as low as thirty fathoms beneath the surface. 



THE very remarkable shell from which protrude two enormously long siphon tubes 

 is the SCUOBICULARIA, an example of the family Tellinidae, all the members of which are 

 notable for the length and divergence of these tubes. 



These creatures are spread over the greater part of the globe, seldom inhabiting deep 

 water, and being fond of localities where the bed of the sea is of a sandy or muddy 

 nature, as they are able to bury themselves deeply in those substances, and to carry on 

 respiration, and obtain nutriment by means of the long siphon tubes. The larger tube 

 is that which is employed for the ingress of water, the shorter for its exit ; and when the 

 animal is at rest, it remains in an upright position in the sand or mud. The orifices of 

 the siphons are without fringes, and the tubes can be extended to five or six times the 

 length of the shell. The specific title of piperita, or peppery, is given to the animal on 

 account of its peculiarly pungent flavour, which, however, does not prevent it from being 

 rather extensively consumed as an article of food in some parts of the world. 



WE now come to the well-known Solenidte, or Razor-shells, so called on account of 

 their shape. 



These curious molluscs always live buried in the sand in an upright position, leaving 

 only an opening shaped like a keyhole, which corresponds with the two siphon tubes. 

 Those who are fond of examining the sand and rocks at low water will doubtlessly have 

 been startled and amused by little jets of water which spirt some few inches in height, 

 but never reappear. 



These are caused by the RAZOR-SHELL ; and if the locality whence the jet started be 

 watched, the little keyhole-like orifice will be seen. To catch the mollusc that emitted 

 the water is no easy task, but may be managed in two ways. The simplest but roughest 

 method is to take an iron rod hooked at the end, plunge it into the sand like a harpoon, 

 and pull it out smartly in an oblique direction, bringing with it the shell. This method. 



