﻿No. 16. MITYLUS. 

 Muscle. Inhabitant allied to an Jlscidia. 



For a description of Mitylus see Pholas. Shell bivalve, rough, usually affix- 

 ed by a beard or byssus of silky filaments, hinge in general without teeth, and, 

 except in a few species, with a subulate excavated longitudinal line. The Lin- 

 ntean Mityli are by no means inconsiderable in numbers; and as they compre- 

 hend many shells, very distinct in appearance, some essential particulars 

 are necessarily distributed into several sections or families, such as parasitici, 

 hose affixed by classes exemplified in Mitylus Crista Galli, Plani, i. e. flat or 

 compressed into a flattened form, and slightly eared, as in Mitylus Margatife- 

 rus or ventri esculi, ventricose as in Mityli Edulis; Lamarck separates them in- 

 to Mitylus Modiolus and Anodonta. 46 species of the Mitylus are enumerated. 

 The animal inhabitant of the Mitylus Lithofagus shines like phosphorus in the 

 dark. This animal is found in the Indian, European and Mediterranean 

 Seas. The Mitylus Hirundo, or Swallow muscle, inhabits the Asiatic, West 

 Indian and Mediterranean Seas — is rare and much valued. 



Some muscles penetrate into the interior of calcareous rocks, where they 

 reside out of the reach of danger; others adhere, by their beard, to the exte- 

 rior of rocks, or stones; and so tenacious is their hold, that in the larger of 

 their species they cannot be separated without considerable exertion. One 

 species is gathered from the depths of the sea, on account of the pearls, 

 which are found within their shells. Of these the Romans were extrava- 

 gantly fond. "It is not enough (says Pliny) to despoil the sea of its riches, 

 in order to gorge our appetites — we must likewise, both men and women, carry 

 them about on our hands, in our ears, upon our heads, and on our whole 

 body." Persons of every rank purchased them with eagerness : they were 

 worn on every part of dress; and there is such a difference both in size and 

 value among pearls, that while such as were large, and of superior lustre, 

 adorned the wealthy and the great, smaller ones, of inferior quality, gratified 

 the variety of persons in more humble life. Julius Ca?sar presented Servilia, 

 the mother of Brutus, with a pearl, for which he paid £48,457. The famed ear- 

 rings of Cleopatra were estimated in value £161,458,000. 



