CAPSA 



Lain. Hist. Kat. des Anim. sans vert. V. p. 553; 



TESTA transversa, sequivalvis, subinsequilateraj 

 claiisa; Cardo dentibus duobus in valva altera^ 

 dente cardinali unieo, bifido, et dentibus latera- 

 libus duobus, obsoietissimis in altera. Liga- 

 nientum externum. Sinus impressionis pallii 

 adhserentis museuli magnus, oblongus. 



Lamarck appears to liave first instituted the Genus Capsa, 

 in his Systeme, giving as the type of it, the Venus deflo- 

 rata, Linn. Bruguiere, in the Encyclopedie Methodique, 

 De Blainville, in the Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelies, 

 and other authors have adopted the Genus, and it conse- 

 quently appeared to he established; hut, in his Hist. Nat. 

 Lamarck, without explaining his reasons for so doing, has 

 left in it only two (prohahly varieties of one) species 

 which he has taken from the Linnean Donax; leaving 

 Venus deflorata. Linn, and all its cognate species to the 

 formerly estahlished Genus Sanguinolaria. 



Of the two species whicli now remain in Capsa, the 

 first is the C. laevigata, Donax laevigata. Linn, and the 

 second is figured among the Donaces by Bruguiere, it is 

 named Capsa hrasiliensis ; they are indeed very nearly 

 related to Donax, hut the characters of the hinge, and the 

 absence of crenulation around the edge of the shells, will 

 serve to distinguish them. The Donax complanata, Mont. 

 is the only English Capsa we are acquainted with, for 

 though we have lately been introduced to the Veneres de- 

 eussata, puUastra, virginea, aurea, and their congeners, 

 under the generic appellation of Capsa, we are now con- 

 vinced that this must be owing to the misapprehension of 

 the excellent Naturalist whose loss to science we sincerely 

 deplore. 



