274 Conchology. 



from^Maderia great variety of the echine, or sea eggs, different from 

 those of the European seas. Several species of muscle are also com- 

 mon there, and the sea ears are nowhere more abundant. 



The Red Sea is beyond all other parts of the world abundant in 

 shells ; scarcely any kind is wanting there ; but what we principally 

 have from thence are the purpuras, porcelains and the echine ma- 

 rini. 



The Mediterranean and Northern Ocean contain a great variety 

 of shells, and many of very remarkable elegance and beauty; they 

 are upon the whole, however, greatly inferior to those of the East 

 Indies. The Mediterranean abounds much more in shells than the 

 Ocean. The gulf of Tarentum affords great variety of purpurae, of 

 porcelains, nautili, and elegant oysters ; the coasts of Naples and 

 Sardinia afford also die same, and with them a vast number of the 

 solens of all the known species. The island of Sicily is famous for 

 a very elegant kind of oyster which is entirely white ; pinnae ma- 

 rinae and porcelains are also found in great plenty there, with tellinas 

 and chamae of many species, and a great variety of other beautiful 

 shells, Corsica is famous, beyond all other places, for the vast quan- 

 tities of the pinnae marinae ; and many other very beautiful shells, 

 are found there. About Syracuse are found the gondola shell, 

 alated murex, and a great variety of elegant snails, with some of the 

 dolia and neritse. The Adriatic Sea, or Gulf of Venice, is less fur- 

 nished with shells than almost any of the seas thereabout. Muscles 

 and oysters of several species are however found there, and some of 

 the cordiform or heart shells; there are also some tellinaj. About 

 Ancona there are vast numbers of the pholadas buried in stone, and 

 the sea ears are particularly frequent about Pizzoli. 



The ports of Marseilles, Toulon, and Antlbes, are full of pinnae 

 marinae, muscles, tellinae and chamae. The coasts of Bretagne af- 

 ford great numbers of the conchae anatiferae and pousse peids ; 

 they are found on old rotten boards, on sea substances, and among 

 clusters of sponges. The other ports of France, as Rochelle, Dun- 

 kirk, Brest, St. Maloes, and others, furnish oysters excellent for the 

 table, but of the common kind and of no beauty in their shells ; great 

 numbers of muscles are also found there ; and the common tellina), 

 the onion peel oysters, the solens and the conchae anatiferae, are also 

 found there. At Granville, in Lower Normandy, there are found 

 very beautiful pectens, and some of the cordiform or heart shells. 



The English coasts are not tlie least fruitful in shells, though they 

 do not produce such elegantly painted ones as the Indies. About 

 Plymouth are found oysters, muscles, and solens, in great ajpundance ; 

 and there, and on most of their shores, numbers of the aurcs ma- 

 rinae and dentalia, with pectens, which are excellent food, and many 



