TELLINAi 



rally distant from the cardinal: muscular impressions 

 tvvo^ distant ; that of the mantle with a very large sinus. 



It will he observed that Lamarck proposes as the 

 characters which are to distinguish Tellenides from 

 Tellina, First, the absence of the flexuous fold ; Secondly y 

 the want of lateral teeth^ and Thirdly, the apparent 

 existence of three hinge teeth ; we must, however, remind 

 our readers, that among the shells arranged by Lamarck 

 among his Tellinae there are some without lateral teeth, 

 but which possess the flexuous fold ; there are others with 

 very slight indications of this flexuous fold, and in which 

 there is only one lateral tooth and that placed near to the 

 cardinal teeth; now instead of three hinge teeth in Tell i- 

 iiides there are in reality but two, and the tooth that 

 appears as a third hinge tooth is only a lateral tooth 

 placed very close to the cardinal teeth ; thus there appears 

 to be in reality a very natural and easy transition from 

 the genuine Tellince with a flexuous fold and two lateral 

 teeth, to the Tellinides, apparently without either. 



Of the Tellinae there are many species, some of a 

 form very much elongated in a transverse direction, as the 

 rostrata, Spengleri, &c. ; others that are of an oval shape, 

 some of which are rough on the outside, as the T, Lingua - 

 Felis; others again that are nearly orbicular, as the, 

 T, scohinata, T. carnaria, &c. very few have one valve 

 more flat than the other, as T. opercularis; both valves 

 i)f others are remarkably deep, as T. lacunosa. Many 

 of the species are very brilliant in their colouring. The 

 "Xellinse are marine, living in the sand near the shore, 

 where they are commonly the prey of Aporrhaides, Biic-. 

 cina, and other carnivorous Trachelipodes, who pierce 

 the shell to devour the inhabitant. 



The fossil species are not numerous^ they are only 

 found in the newer tertiary beds. 



