194 Storer's New Species of Nucula 
ity. Thus even Say, in his description of the Nucula 
limatula, says, his imperfect specimen was presented to 
him by Mr. Nuttall, ^as having been taken from the 
stomach of a fish at Nahant.” Now, as some of our 
fishes live in very shallow water, and others are found 
only at great depths, it is of no slight importance to the 
conchologist to know where he may dredge with a pros- 
pect of success. And again, as the same species of fish, 
at different seasons, is found upon different bottoms, or 
at different depths, we should know something of their 
habitats to follow up our investigations understandingly. 
And then, the dredge will be dragged in spring, where 
a particular fish containing a Nucula, was found in au- 
tumn ; and the winter residence of a Platessa will not be 
searched in vain in midsummer. 
Since the above description was drawn up, I doubt 
whether a flat-fish has been brought into market, whose 
entrails have not been searched and researched for 
Nucule. I have been not a little amused at the eager- 
ness with which the knife has been applied to their dis- 
tended stomachs; with so much precipitancy has this 
been done in several instances, as to ruin the enclosed 
shell. Ihave had the good fortune to procure, from one 
fish, three fine specimens of this shell. Of these, the 
one now before me, measures two inches two lines in 
length; one inch three lines in width across, from um- 
bones ; and six lines in depth. All, which have yet 
been found, were contained in the stomach of the Pla- 
téssa dentata—a species quite common in our markets 
at this season of the year. I have known of but two 
specimens of the Pleuronectes (Platéssa) planus of 
Mitchill, having been brought to Boston market this 
winter; and although these were taken at about the 
