1 
The Hiflory c/ A N I M A L 169 
• -/-ko ,r; ;c • • - t .'v Pc r .1 . . :.«/1 : 0 , 5 rf !0 sdT 
/ .v ' . S O L E N. , J. . 
/- r* -H E Solen is a bivalve (hell, of an oblong and fomewhat rounded figure, with 
j[ both the extremities open. The animal inhabiting it is a Tethys. 
Some of the fpecies are flraight, and others are crooked. 
Solen ruhefcens crajfior * 
The thick , ra/ Solen. 
This is a very beautiful fpecies: it is about three inches long, and of the thicknefs of 
a man’s finger5 it’s furface is fmooth, only that toward one of the extremities there are 
a few arcuated lines of a fomewhat furrowed flrudufe, and feeming to exprefs the ter¬ 
minations of fo many plates of the fhell, begun at the thicker end, and not continued 
quite to the other: the whole fhell is confiderably thick for one of this genus, but 
the end where the plates are entire is thicker than the other 3 both extremities are open, 
to the full extent of the diameter of the fhell: the colour is an elegant pale red, va¬ 
ried, in degree, from the flrongefl damafk rofe colour to the fainted flefhy tinge. 
It is a native of the Eafl Indies. 
Solen arcuatus cceruleo et fufco variegatus. 
The arcuated Solen , variegated with hr own and blue . 
This is fix inches long, and three quarters of an inch in diameter 5 it is of equal 
thicknefs from one end to the other, but is not flraight as the former fpecies, and moil: 
of the other Solens, but fomewhat arcuated or bent in the manner of a bow : the fur- 
face is naturally fmooth and gloffy, but there are the extremities of fo many broken 
and otherwife imperfect plates always feen on it, that it never is tolerably uniform: it 
is variegated with brown, and a beautiful violet-blue on the outfide, and is of a pearly 
white within. 
We have it on our own coafts 5 and it is common alfo on mod others of the Euro¬ 
pean, as well as on the North American, fhores. 
t w J 
Solen reBus tenuior fufco et alho piBus. 
The Jlender , flraight, brown and white Solen . 
This is three inches long, and fcarce a third of an inch in diameter 3 it isperfedly 
flraight, and is open to it’s full extent at both extremities: it’s furface is rendered ir¬ 
regular, as in the others, by the extremities of imperfed plates, otherwife it would be 
fmooth and of a natural fine polifh throughout: the ground colour is an elegant olive- 
brown, but where the imperfed plates terminate, and in fome other places, it is va¬ 
ried with white : the inner furface is throughout of a pearly white. 
It is frequent on the fhores of the Ead Indies, and of fome parts of Europe 5 the 
antients have called this the female Solen, and have named the common larger brown 
Solen the male. 
r 
Solen papyraceus purpuro- violaceus . 
The violet-purple 3 papyraceous Solen . 
This is by far the mod elegant of all the Solen kind 5 it is four inches long, near 
half an inch in diameter, and is equally open at both ends, to the full extent of the 
, fhell: it’s whole fubdance is not thicker than that of a fheet of tolerably thick paper, 
and is fo brittle, that it is eafily crufhed to pieces: it’s furface is rendered irregular, by 
the terminations of impeded plates, and it’s colour is a mod elegant bluifh purple, 
approaching to the deep tinge of the violet, but with more of the red in it. 
It is found on the fhores of the ifland of Ormuz, in the Perfian Gulph, and in 
fome parts of the Ead Indies 5 the perfed fpecimens are fuch, as have been carefully 
dug out of the fands, under two or three feet water at low tides: thofe found on the 
fhores are ufually broken. 
X x 
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