74 Praeger — The Marine Shells 



deeper water, do not fairly show its distribution : indeed, this common species 

 was only obtained once— in Brown's Bay, Island Magee (D. anatinus). 

 Portrusb, Ballycastle, and a single valve at Ballyholme Bay — R.L1.P. 

 [Donax denticulatus, Linne. 



" A specimen said to be from Magilligan is in Mr. Hyndman's collection" 

 — Thompson. This is a West Indian species, erroneously introduced into 

 British lists.] 

 Ittactra solida, linne. 



" Not generally distributed ; Magilligan, Red Bay, and Larne" — Thomp- 

 son. "A single valve dredged up off Castle Chichester, and odd valves off 

 Bangor" — Hyndman. Dredged between Bangor and Donaghadee, 6-8 

 fathoms— Mr. S. A. Stewart (whether living or dead not stated). Portrush, 

 dead, Miss Richardson. Dead valves are abundant at Magilligan, and are not 

 uncommon on the shore beyond Groomsport, Co. Down — R.L1.P. 

 var. truncata. ' ' Found near low water mark in sand ; brought to Belfast 

 with cockles for sale, and together with Venus aurea, similarly obtained, com- 

 monly called 'Lady Cockle'; Red Bay, W.T." — Thompson. "Bangor 

 Bay, Down (Patterson)" — Forbes and Hanley. "Living on sandy shores 

 between tide marks " — Hyndman. Groomsport — Belf. Mus. Coll. 

 var. elliptica. "Belfast and Strangford Loughs; specimens dead in both 

 localities" — Thompson. Dredged frequently by Hyndman, living, in 12 to 

 30 fathoms ; dead shells common on the Turbot Bank. Dickie took it alive 

 in Strangford Lough and the channel outside. (All sub M. elliptica). 

 Mactra subtruncata, Da Costa. 



" Dredged from 10 to 12 fathoms, on sand, in Strangford Lough, Mr. Hynd- 

 man and "W.T."— Thompson. "Living, few," in Brown's Bay, Island 

 Magee, 4 fathoms and less —Hyndman. Groomsport— Belf. Mus. Coll. 

 var. insequivalvi*. " Lough Strangford (Adair)" — Jeffreys ; which is the 



only station assigned by that eminent conchologist to this variety. 

 Mactra stultorum, Linne". 



Living on sandy beaches near low water mark ; rather local. Red Bay, 

 Co. Antrim, and Newcastle, Co. Down— Thompson. Being a littoral species, 

 it did not occur in any of Hyndman's or Dickie's dredgings. Portrush, and 

 abundant on the Derry coast, and frequently washed up alive on the Co. Down 

 shore from Holywood to Donaghadee — R.L1.P. 

 var. cinerea. Magilligan — Thompson. 



Under the various species and varieties of the above rather critical genus, I 

 have simply placed the notes on them by the observers named, without com- 

 ment, but there seems to have been some confusion regarding M. solida var. 

 truncata and M. subtruncata, at least. Contrary to what the notes above might 

 lead one to expect, it is the latter that is by far the more abundant of the two 

 in our district, living in profusion in Belfast Lough and elsewhere, and it is to 



