[■ 233 3 
I had feen the inhabitant alive. In the beginning 
of April 1768, ,as foon as the froft broke, I got 
fome more ot the co? 7 fervas^ which I djllblved in a glafs 
of water without diicovering the bivalve 3 nor had I 
any better fuccefs upon trying the effedl of the 
flove. During the fpring, I continued my fearch 
in the country, and found feveral fpecies of bivalve in- 
fedls, which led me to think the inhabitant of the fliell 
was like them. At laft, in autumn, after I had given 
up my hopes, I found it in the Park, at the bottom 
of a ditch full of Handing waters. The tranfparency 
of the fliell gave me an opportunity of examining 
the inhabitant ; and the examination cleared up the 
doubt I had about its fpecies. ' 
The new fliell is a bivalve; white, fmooth, fliln- 
ing, and tranfparent, without the lead: fpot, hair, or 
down. Its figure is oblong, rounded at both ends, 
and the hinge fomewhat finuated at the opening, 
and convex at the fides, in fuch a manner as, when 
feen out of water, it is very like the feeds of fome 
plants ; and this is common to all the fpecies of this 
genus. The fubftanceis coriacious, or like hardened 
glue ; thin, and very brittle when dryed. When 
feen by the microfcope, fome of them appear very like 
net work. The valves are equal, a little broader at 
one end than at the other, and fomewhat flatted at 
the dope ; they are not however more elevated at 
the opening thari at the hinge, but rather the con- 
trary ; for on the infide they diew another edge, lefs 
elevated than that of the outfide, and which grow'S lefs 
and lefs towards the hinge. I call by this name the 
place, where the valves join, though I have not 
been able to difcover either the membrane or teeth, 
VoL, LXI. PI h which 
