RAZOR - SHELLS. 
57 
Doncix Calif ornicus, Conr., the well-known 
Wedge shell, is shown in Fig. 5, PI. XV. It is 
short and stumpy, being less than an inch in 
length. It varies much in color, sometimes 
being nearly white, and again, striped with 
bright tints. It is smooth, marked with narrow 
radiations, and has a finely crenulated edge. It 
abounds on the sandy beaches in the southern 
part of the State. 
The true Solens, or Razor-shells, are not very 
numerous on the coast of California, but are 
found more abundantly in the vicinity of Puget 
Sound. Solen sicarius , Gld., is our best repre- 
sentative of this curious group of mollusks. The 
shell of this species is about two inches long, 
nearly straight, and gapes widely at both ends ; 
it is thin and delicate, and is covered with a 
glossy, light brown epidermis. The hinge-teeth 
and ligament are very near one end of the shell. 
The Solens are active burrowers, and not easily 
surprised. A variety, rosaceus , of this species is 
longer, more slender, and of a pinkish color. 
Next to the true Solens, comes Solecurtus Cal- 
if ornianus, Conr., or the Short Razor -shell, 
shown in Fig. 1, Ph XVI, natural size. The 
epidermis of this species is not so glossy as that 
of the last, and the hinge is in the middle of the 
shell, instead of being at one end. The wild 
ducks love to find a colony of these mollusks, 
and greatly enjoy the rich least. 
Resembling the former species, but much 
larger, is the beautiful sliell shown in Fig. 6, PI. 
XV, known as Machwra patula , Dixon., Flat 
Razor-shell. It growls to a length of four or five 
