554 
PHOLAS. 
which the sea washes into his dwelling, till he is 
either dragged from his hole, to be used as a bait 
for other fish, or dies a natural death in a sepulchre 
of his own digging. Dr. Maton thinks this must 
be the case, because the cavity is always smaller at 
its entrance than the pholas itself. 
The shell of the pholas is of an elegant oblong 
shape, striated transversely, and extending at one 
end into a beak : a large incurvated tooth appears 
in each valve ; and the length of the shell from one 
end to the other is from two to four inches. 
