CONCHIFERA. 



315 



many efforts, succeeding in leaping from their prison. No 

 sooner did they fall upon the water, than, by striking their 

 valves rapidly together, they ran or rather skipped a few 

 seconds upon the surface, and then sunk to the bottom. 

 In this way all the contents of the basket disappeared 

 within fifteen minutes. Some of the species are stout and 

 heavy, others thin and transparent, and many are orna- 

 mented with beautiful colours. 



The Pecten is found almost everywhere ; on our south 

 coasts it is abundant, and much used as an article of food. 

 In some countries the shells of the Pecten maximus are 

 used as plates by the poor ; in Paris the restaurateurs em- 

 ploy them for the same purpose, when serving up a certain 

 preparation of mushrooms ; and in England they are em- 

 ployed in cooking scalloped oysters, and the shell is conse- 

 quently known as the scallop shell. The P. Jacobceus, a 

 Mediterranean shell, was formerly the badge of the pil- 

 grims who had been to the Holy Land, and was worn on 

 their caps and cloaks. There are nine species British, of 

 which P. varius, opercularis, and maximus are the most 

 common ; they all vary greatly in colour, and are exceed- 

 ingly pretty. Several beautiful species of fossil Pectens 

 are figured in Sowerby's " Mineral Conchology." 



Hinnites. Def ranee. — Shell inequivalve, nearly equi- 

 lateral, radiated ; valves eared ; the area of the hinge 

 quadrangular, tripartite, its cartilage immersed in a deep 

 longitudinal pit in the centre, the lateral portions striated, 

 supporting the ligament ; sinus for the byssus small ; mus- 

 cular impression large, connected with impressions remain- 

 ing from the attachment of the mantle parallel to the 

 margin of the valves.* — 2 species f; also fossil. 



* Sowerby's Conch. Manual. 



| Reeve's Iconica. 



