CATECHISM OF CONCIIOLOGY. 39 



Q. The Pecten and Common Oyster are cer- 

 tainly not alike. 



A. You are aware that each genus con- 

 tains several species, which are again subdivided 

 into families. The Pecten, or Scallop, belongs 

 to the first and second division, and are distin- 

 guished from each other by the proportion of 

 their ears. 



Q. I am much interested by these curious 

 anecdotes. Will you favour me with some ad- 

 ditional ones ? 



A. My time will not admit of it. You will 

 find them amply detailed in " The Conchologist's 

 Companion," which treats particularly of the 

 curious instincts of shell- fish in general. 



C HAP. XVII. 



BIVALVES: 

 ANOMIA ; Anomia, or Antique Lamp. 



Q. Is it not difficult to distinguish shells be- 

 longing to this genus ? 



A. Rather so ; for they vary considerably in 

 their form : most of them are, however, thin and 

 brittle, semi-transparent, of a pearly texture, and 

 D 2 



