482 THE AQUARIAN NATURALIST. 



that may be readily witnessed ; for, if the Solen be 

 taken out of its hole and placed upon the sand, it 

 immediately prepares to rebury itself, by the assist- 

 ance of its enormous " foot," which it at once 

 stretches forth to its full length. The extremity of 

 the foot when thus protruded assumes a flattened 

 form, tapering to a sharp point, and it is by means of 

 this dagger-shaped instrument that the animal pro- 

 ceeds to perforate the sand. Driving the extremity 

 of this singular weapon to a considerable depth, 

 with the greatest facility, and then bending the end 

 into the shape of a hook, it acquires a sufficient pur- 

 chase to enable it to drag its shell into a vertical 

 position, and this being accomplished, all that remains 

 to be done is to bury itself still more deeply; for this 

 purpose the foot is once more elongated and forced 

 perpendicularly downwards to the extent of half, or 

 two-thirds of the length of the shell, and, as the 

 organ retains its dagger-shape while this is effected, 

 it encounters but little resistance. Now commences 

 the most remarkable part of the operation : the foot 

 all on a sudden completely changes its shape ; with- 

 out at all diminishing in length, instead of being 

 flat, it becomes at once round, or cylindrical, and 

 then suddenly swells out near its extremity into a 

 great fleshy globe, thus assuming a contour resembling 

 that of the clapper of a bell. By means of the fleshy 

 globe thus imbedded firmly in the sand, a secure hold 

 is obtained ; when, by shortening that portion of the 

 foot which is situated between the globular dila- 

 tation and the shell, the latter is forcibly dragged 

 downwards; and thus, by a repetition of the same 



