74 
Praeger — The Marine Shells 
deeper water, do not fairly show its distribution : indeed, this common species 
was only obtained once —in Brown’s Bay, Island Magee (D. anatinus). 
Portrush, Ballycastle, and a single valve at Ballyholme Bay— B.Ll.P. 
[Bonax denticulatus, Linne. 
“ A specimen said to be from Magilbgan is in Mr. Hyndman’s collection 
Thompson. This is a West Indian species, erroneously introduced into 
British lists.] 
Mactra solida, Linne. 
“ Not generally distributed; Magilligan, Bed Bay, and Lame”— Thomp- 
son. “A single valve dredged up off Castle Chichester, and odd valves off 
Bangor Hyndman. Dredged between Bangor and Donaghadee, 6-8 
fathoms— Mr. S. A. Stewart (whether living or dead not stated). Portrush, 
dead, Miss Bichardson. Dead valves are abundant at Magilligan, and are not 
uncommon on the shore beyond Groomsport, Co. Down— B.Ll.P. 
var. truncata. “Found near low water mark in sand; brought to Belfast 
with cockles for sale, and together with Venus aurea, similarly obtained, com- 
monly called ‘Lady Cockle’; Bed Bay, W.T.”— Thompson. “Bangor 
Bay, Down (Patterson)”— Forbes and Hanley. “ Living on sandy shores 
between tide marks ” — Hyndman. Groomsport— Belf. Mus. Coll. 
var. elliptica. “Belfast and Strangford Loughs; specimens dead in both 
localities”— Thompson. Dredged frequently by Hyndman, living, in 12 to 
30 fathoms ; dead shells common on the Turbot Bank. Dickie took it alive 
in Strangford Lough and the channel outside. (All sub M. elliptica). 
Mactra sutotruneata, Da Costa. 
“ Dredged from 10 to 12 fathoms, on sand, in Strangford Lough, Mr. Hynd- 
man and W.T.”— Thompson. “Living, few,” in Brown’s Bay, Island 
Magee, 4 fathoms and less— Hyndman. Groomsport— Belf. Mus. Coll. 
var. insequivalvis. “Lough Strangford (Adair)”— Jeffreys ; which is the 
only station assigned by that eminent conchologist to this variety. 
Mactra stultorum, Linne. 
Living on sandy beaches near low water mark ; rather local. Bed Bay, 
Co. Antrim, and Newcastle, Co. Down— Thompson. Being a littoral species, 
it did not occur in any of Hyndman’s or Dickie’s dredgings. Portrush, and 
abundant on the Derry coast, and frequently washed up alive on the Co. Down 
shore from Holywood to Donaghadee — B.Ll.P. 
var. cinereai Magilligan— Thompson. 
Under the various species and varieties of the above rather critical genus, x 
have simply placed the notes on them by the observers named, without com- 
ment, hut there seems to have been some confusion regarding M. solida var. 
truncata and M . subtruncata , at least. Contrary to what the notes above might 
lead one to expect, it is the latter that is by far the more abundant of the two 
in our district, living in profusion in Belfast Lough and elsewhere, and it is to 
