350 



Venericardia squamigera, Deshayes. 



Cardita squamigera, Deshayes; Mag, ZooL, 1853, p. 10; 

 Reeve, Conch. Icon., pi. iv., f. 14: Hah. — "Unknown"; Tate, 

 Trans. Roy. Soc, S. Aiistr., 1888, vol. xi., p. 68, "Spencer Gulf, 

 off Kangaroo Island." 



Dredged alive in Gulf St. Vincent, Spencer Gulf, and in 

 Backstairs Passage; four in 10 fathoms, five in 12, one in 15, 

 two in 17, seven in 20, five in 22 fathoms. Valves were 

 taken, but only of small size, as follows : — Seventeen in 55 

 fathoms and one in 62 fathoms off Cape Borda; one in 110 

 fathoms off Beachport; and two in 300 fathoms off Cape Jaffa. 

 I have not collected it on any of our beaches. 



It attains a length of 25 mm., with a height of 19 mm., 

 nearly three times the dimensions given by Tate, t'iz., three- 

 eighths of an inch by a quarter of an inch, or 9 mm. by 6. 



Venericardia bimaculata, Beshayes. 



Cardita himaculata, Deshayes; Proc. Zool. Soc, Lond., 1852, 

 p. 101, pi. xvii., f. 4, 5: Hah. — "New Zealand, Coll. Cuming;" 

 Tate, Trans. Roy. Soc, S. Austr., 1892, vol. xv., p. 134, records 

 it for South Australia, and says "it is not admitted by Prof. 

 Hutton in his revised list of New Zealand Mollusca" as living 

 in New Zealand; Tate and May, Proc. Linn. Soc, New South 

 Wales, 1901, vol. xxvi., part 3, p. 434, for Tasmania; Pritnhard 

 and Gatliff, Proc Roy. Soc, Vict., 1904, vol. xviii. (N.S.), part 

 1, p. 232, "Port Phillip and Western Port." 



Cardita gunni, Deshayes; Proc. Zool. Soc, Lond., 1852, p. 

 101, Hah. — "Van Diemen's Land" (Coll. Cuming). 



Cardita atkinsoni, Tenison-Woods ; Proc. Roy. Soc, Tasm., 

 1876, p. 27, Hah. — "Long Bay, Tasmania." 



This species varies greatly in shape; one may be 15'25 

 mm. antero-posteriorly, 12 mm. umbo-ventrally, and 775 in 

 section, and another 13*75, 12*25, and 9"75 in its respective 

 measurements. The difference is not due to age, for each 

 form can be traced from minute to full size. But inter- 

 mediate grades occur. The ribs may vary from 15 to 23. 



Dredged alive in Gulf St. Vincent, Spencer Gulf, Inves- 

 tigator Strait, and Backstairs Passage. Seven in 5 fathoms, 

 sixty-two in 5 to 10 fathoms, twenty-seven in 10 to 15 

 fathoms, 134 in 15 to 20 fathoms, and sixty-four in 22 to 23 

 fathoms, one in 45 fathoms, off the Neptunes. Fifteen to 

 20 fathoms seems to be, therefore, its proper station, though 

 one was taken alive in 40 fathoms off Beachport. Valves 

 only were taken, sixty-five in 40 fathoms, eighteen in 55 

 fathoms, twelve in 60 fathoms, thirty in 100 fathoms, thirty- 

 one in 130 fathoms, three in 150 fathoms, ten in 200 

 fathoms, and five in 300 fathoms. 



