Mussel and Cockle. 99 



colour of the shell also varies considerably, being 

 sometimes of a delicate rose colour ; at others, more 

 of a claret ; at others again bordering on purple 

 It was for one of the first discovered specimens of 

 this shell that £1000 is said to have been given 

 Truly a Venus of value this ; it ought to be called 

 the Queen of Cockles ! 



Our next examples (see Fig. 4), is the Spotted 

 Tridacna (T. maculatus), the latter term signifying 

 spotted. In the Ghamidce, or Clam family, is placed 

 the Tridacna genus, the discovered species of which 

 are not numerous ; they are chiefly found in the 

 Indian seas. The one above-mentioned claims pre- 

 eminence for beauty. We cannot quite see the 

 applicability of the generic name ; Tridacnus, in 

 Latin, signifies to be eaten at three bites, but he 

 must be a man of large capacity indeed who could 

 so devour the head of this family, the Giant Tri- 

 dacna (T. gigas), a single specimen of which has 

 been known to weigh as much as five hundred and 

 seventy pounds ; from three to four hundred is by 

 no means an uncommon size. The shell of this 

 giant mollusk is of a very picturesque shape, some- 

 thing like its spotted congener (as we call anything 

 of the same kind or genus), only it is somewhat 

 plainer, and more deeply ribbed and indented. The 



