VENUS.- 
247 
them: hinge with three teeth in one valve, the middle-one 
cloven; in the other, two of the teeth are cloven, with the 
lateral one erect: length an inch or more ; breadth two 
inches. 
Pennant’s figure is a good representation of V. perfo- 
rans in its most perfect state. 
Western and Irish coasts, v. v. 
32. Venus aurea. Golden Venus. 
Lister , pi. 404. f. 249— Pennant , pi. (10, upper fig.— 
Linn. Trans. vUL pi. 2. f. 9— Dorset Cat. pi. 13. f. 3. 
Shell rhombic-oval, convex, a little produced at the car¬ 
tilage end and rounded at both, the cartilage edge much 
rounded and notas in thela3t sloping down rather sharply, 
finely and regularly striate transversely, with a few anti¬ 
quated furrows, and crossed with some faint longitudinal 
lines ; color yellowish, w'liitish, or with a rufous tinge, 
mostly marked with ferruginous or blackish minute zigzag 
lines, or mottled with grey, especially about the edges"; 
inside yellowish-white, with d plain obtuse margin ; beaks 
neareroneend,but more central than thelast, a little curved, 
with a broad heart-shaped depression under them : hinge 
with three teeth in each valve, the middle-one slightly 
cloven : length an inch ; breadth an inch and a quarter. 
Western coasts, and various shores of Ireland, v, v. 
33. Venus nitens. Shining Venus. 
Shell rliombic-oval, a little angular on the cartilage side, 
tumid in the middle, and sloping to a sharp edge round the 
circumference, with very fine and regular transverse striae 
crossed by minute longitudinal lines, of a glossy reddish 
horn-color, with a few obscure deeper red irregular mark- 
gs about the sides and margin; inside glossy blueish- 
white, with a shining horny spot each side under the hinge, 
the cartilage spot tongue-shaped and defined by a horny 
line, with the margin rather sharp and plain : beaks promi¬ 
nent and obtuse, not quite central, generally decorticated 
and of a whitish horn-color, very little turned to one side, 
with an elongated heart-shaped depression under them 
which is striate longitudinally : hinge with three teeth in 
each 
