NATURAL HISTORY of NO RW A T. 163 



particular 7 for that animal, notwithstanding all his cunning, often 

 puts his paw, or even his tongue in the fhell 3 and then the Oyfter 

 holds him faft j fo that he is fometimes drowned by the fpring-tides. 

 We have feen feveral inftances of this on the coaft of Norway. 



The Stor-Skai, the Large-mell, or Stor-Skiad, called alfo Large-fl«u. 

 the Kierling-Ore, the Scallop, Pe&en, is another kind of Oyfter, 

 twice as large as the common fort. The ihell of this Fifh is thin, 

 white, and ftriated like the Cockle-fhell. The upper fhell is 

 quite flat, the under one concave. They are not found- in any 

 great numbers, nor are they eaten here : the Ihell only is ufed to 

 ftew or fcollop other Oyfters in. Thefe are alfo called Spanifh 

 Oyfters, becaufe the fhells are ufed to beautify grottos, foun- 

 tains and cafcades, and are imported for that purpofe from Spain, 

 as alfo from Iceland 5 where this fort is faid to be more frequent, 

 and more beautiful than ours. 



The Top-Oyfters, Patella, the Limper, are alfo called Half- Top-o^. 

 Oyfters, becaufe they have only one fhell ; this is round, convex 

 and ribbed, and of a dulky colour : this alone covers them ; on the 

 other fide they ftick faft to the rock. They are called alfo Elbow- 

 fhell, becaufe the'y referable the elbow when the arm is bent. 

 • They are not eaten here ; but the French failors are very thank- 

 ful for them; when they come to our ports. M. Tournefort calls 

 them Yeux de Bouc, or Goats Eyes, and gives a full and anato- 

 mical defcription of the Fifh contained within them, in his Voyage 

 du Levant, P. i. p. 94, & fequ. This looks more like a Snail 

 than an Oyfter, and has a fmall head, and two horns or Tenta- 

 cula ; but its Ihell feems to entitle it to a place in this clafs. 



The Lang-Skkel, the Long-fhell, the Solen, or Razor- fhell, Long fhdi. 

 confifts of two fhells of equal convexity, about fix inches long, 

 but hardly an inch broad. Thefe fhells are white within, and 

 covered on the "ou tilde with a dark-coloured flimy fubftance, 

 which often peels off when they are dry. The Fifh is not eaten 

 here, but only ufed for a bait *. Gefnerus calls it Da&ylus, and 

 fays the Fifh keeps always one end of the fhell open, in order to 

 put out its head in queft of food. 



There are found here befide thefe, two different forts of Shell- 

 fifh, but fmaller, which I rank among the Oyfter-kind : thefe are 

 not larger than a crown-piece, and fome, much lefs. Thefe two 

 forts differ not only in fize, but in the fhell ; for the ribs on the 

 furface of the one run like the radii from the center, whereas 

 they are fo many concentric circles on that of the other. Both 



* The colour of the Fifh is reddifh ; they, often leave the fhells, tho' their bodies 

 feem very delicate, and are fometimes feen fwimming in the water without them. 



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