Page:The common shells of the sea-shore (IA commonshellsofse00wood 0).pdf/47

Rh At fig. 4 of Plate III. is shown another example of this large and important group of shells; we will call it the (Tellina solidula). The species which have just been mentioned are rather flat, much polished, and fragile, whereas the present species is opposed to them in each of these respects. It is a short, sturdy kind of shell, rather dull on the exterior, and stout in substance. The valves are very convex, so that a perfect specimen can he rolled along the floor without difficulty.

The colouring is variable, but never attains the brilliancy which adorns so many other species, seeming, indeed, as if half washed out. In the specimen before me it is nearly white, over which are drawn a few broad bands of very pale pink, deepest towards the hinge, and becoming almost yellow at the edge. Other specimens are nearly yellow, some are flesh-colour, some a tolerably deep pink, while a very few are creamy white. This shell is found in sand, some five inches below the surface.

On Plate III., fig. 7, is drawn a shell which has the elaborate name of Syndosmya alba. How, as the simple and well-sounding name of Abra has been given to the shells of this genus, although the longer title has been accepted by Messrs. Forbes and Hanley, I propose to call them the Abra-shells, and the present species the, being a translation of the specific name.

This name, however, is not a very happy one, inasmuch as all the British Abra-shells are more or less white, and this particular species is not distinguished in any way by its superior whiteness. This is a small species, seldom much exceeding half an inch in length. It is very fragile, but during life it is partly defended by a thin but tolerably tough membrane, which extends over the shell, and is generally of a yellowish hue. The valves slightly gape at the extremities. It is a plentiful shell in sand and mud, particularly