Page:The common shells of the sea-shore (IA commonshellsofse00wood 0).pdf/46

36 measuring nearly two indies in length. The colour is variable, but is usually whitish, and marked with warm red rays something like those of the Sunsetshells. In some specimens the inside is generally orange, but is sometimes nearly white.

On the same plate, at fig. 5, is represented another species, which maybe called the (Tellina tenuis), on account of the polished surface of the shell, which has a gloss exactly like that of the finest porcelain. Unfortunately, the shell is extremely fragile, and so may doubly deserve its name. The figure has been drawn in order to show the chief peculiarities of the animal, namely, the slender siphons and the fringed edges of the mantle, which just show themselves beyond the shell.

This is extremely plentiful on our shores, and although it is a burrower, the empty shells are thrown on the shore in vast abundance. It is extremely variable in colour, but is always beautifully tinted. A specimen now before me is of a lovely blush-rose colour, with bands of carmine running round it as seen in the figure, and changing gradually to orange at the hinge. A few streaks of white are also strewn over the shell, and present an elegant contrast to the pink and orange.

Another beautiful species is the (Tellina incarnata). It is a much larger shell than the preceding, and is narrower in proportion. The Blunt Tellen is almost as wide as it is long, while the Orange Tellen is nearly half as long again as its width. The colour of this shell is warm orange on the outside, with streaks of pink and white; and on the inside is a still brighter orange. It is rather a flat shell, translucent and fragile. It is usually found on the southern coasts. At page 25, fig. 11, is seen one of the valves of this species, showing the general shape of the shell, as well as the minute teeth of the hinge.