MARGARITA crocata. 

 Oranye Pearl- Oyster. 



Order Acepbala. Family Margaritadoe. Nob. 



Margarita D.E. Animal byssiferous, attached to marine bodies by 

 a fascicle of tendinous filaments. Shell fbliaceous, tlie centre 

 internally pearly and iridescent: the form irregular ; the mar- 

 gins fragile and transparent. Nob. 



Genera. Margarita. Malleus. Perna. Pinna. (Vulsella ?) Lam. 



Sub-genera? Avicula. Crenatula. Inoceramus. Auct. 



Generic Character. 



Margarita. See Leach. Zool. Miss. 1. p. 107. (1814.) 



( Meleagrina. Lam. Syst. 1819.^ 



Specific Character. 



Shell subquodrate, sqiiamose, fulvous or yelloii', the ear oj^ the right 

 valve diluted and scarcely sinualed, that of the left valve very 

 small : inside silvery blue, hinge smooth. 



It is the animal of this j^enus of Shells, which in sickness 

 and disease, produces the true oriental Pearl : the costly 

 ornament of sovereig-ns, and the chaste foil of beauty. An 

 interesting" account of the Pearl fisliery of Ceylon, will be 

 found in Mr. Wood's entertaining Zoography, extracted 

 from Percival's History of that island. 



The present is a small species, seldom exceeding' the size 

 of the figure : in young shells there is a cardinal tubercle in 

 our valve, which disappears with age. The Pearl-oysters 

 are nearly all inhabitants of warm seas ; the species require 

 much elucidation. 



The genera, above enumerated, appear to present such a 

 series of affinities, as to justify our suspicions that they 

 form a natural group : the more so, as their analogies may 

 be traced among the perlacious fluviatile shells, forming 

 our family Unionidue. If further investigation should 

 confirm the correctness of this idea, the sub-genera will, of 

 course, become types of form ; bearing the same relation to 

 the genera, as Df'psus does to Anodo)ij or Castalia to Hyria. 

 Margaritaduf, PI. 1. 



