LIMA. 



shells, the sides rather thickened, gaping a little on one 

 side near the hinge, and having a small ear on each side 

 the limbo. The umbones also are separate or divergent, 

 not approximated, their internal facets being inclined 

 outwards. Lamarck tells us th^t the hinge has no teeth | 

 but we find, in young shells particularly, two lateral 

 teeth, one on each side in each valve; these teeth are 

 rather elongated, and are certainly much less conspicuous 

 in old shells. The area between the umbones, to which 

 the ligament is attached, is divided as in Ostrea, Pecten, 

 ^pondylus. Malleus, &c., into three parts; the middle 

 one of which, or the hinge pit, is rounded above, and 

 contains the principal portion of the ligament, while the 

 remainder is attached to the rather elongated, linear, 

 lateral portions. One lateral, suborbicular, muscular 

 iiiipression, frorii the inner edge of which, the muscular, 

 impression of the mantle takes its rise, and making a circuit 

 around the other side of the s]iell seems to terminate 

 near the beak. 



There are many species of this Genus, they are 

 mostly longitudinally grooved or striated, the interstices 

 having in general shorter or longer transverse prominent 

 scales. 



They are mostly white, but uncleaned shells have a 

 thin, brown, horny epidermis, which covers the scales, 

 as well as the other parts of the shell. Only two or. 

 three small species are found on our coasts, of these the 

 Pecteii Loscombi of Leach, fragilis of Mont., and subaurim- 

 latus of Mont., are among the rarer productions of the 

 coast of Devonshire. All that are known are marine. 



Of the fossil species there are also many ; we believe 

 they do not occur in any beds below the Lias : in the inferior 

 Ooiite there are several species, some of which approach 

 very nearly to some of the recent shells ; they are found 

 also in the Calcaire grossiere, in France; and one or two 

 small species occur in the corresponding beds, in Italy y 

 but we do not find them enumerated among the inmates, 

 of the London Clay, in England. These fossil specieSi 

 that occur in Britain, are figured in 1' Sowerby's Mineral 

 Conchology.'' 



Fig. 1. Outside of Lima glacialis, Lam. 



2. Inside of Lima squamosa, Lam. ; Pecten Lima, Linn. 



3. Inside of Lima buHata, figured by Chemnitz, vii. t. 68, f. 649, Ij. 



4. Lima Loscombi, Leach j fragilis of Mout. 



