THE NATURAL HISTORY OF BRITISH SHELLS V2, DONOVAN 1804

THE

NATURAL HISTORY
OF

BRITISH SHELLS,
INCLUDING

FIGURES and DESCRIPTIONS
OF ALL THE

SPECIES

HITHERTO DISCOVERED

GREAT BRITAIN,

IN

SYSTEMATICALLY ARRANGED

IN THE LINNEAN MANNER,
WITH
SCIENTIFIC

AND GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON EACH,

VOL.

II.

UB'©(!
By

E.

DONOVAN,

F.L.S,

'author of the natural HISTORIES OS
BRITISH BIRDS, INSECTS, &C. &C.
-T-igl

^

'gTiBTm.

LONDON:
PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR,
AND FOR
F.

AND

C.

RIVINGTON, N«

SY BYE AND LAW,

ST;

62, ST.

PAUL'S CHURCH- YARD,

JOHN'S SQUARE, GLERKENWELL,

I8OO4


M



37


THE

NATURAL HISTORY
OF

BRITISH SHELLS.
M4SM4

PLATE

XXXVIL

ARCA GLYCYMERIS.
ORBICULAR ARK.
GENERIC CHARACTER.
Bivalve, valves equal.

Teeth of the hinge numerous, and
between each

SPECIFIC

inserted

other.

CHARACTER
AND

SYNONYMS.
Orbicular, concave, very finely striated transversely and longitudinally,

and variegated with zigzag marks.

Arca Glycymeris:

Margin

crenated.

testa suborbiculata gibba, substriata, natibus

incurvis,

p. 1143.

margine crenato.

No. 181.

A 2

Linn. Syst. Nat.


PLATE
Chama

Pectunculus ingens variegatus ex rufo.

glycemeris, Bellon.

H.

List.

Concha

XXXVII.

Conch, tab. 247. fig. 82.

crassa, lasvis, subalbida, luteis macuiis radiata, signata, fasciata,
rata.

et

virgulata, intus

Gnalt.l. Conch,

macula fusca obscutab. 72.

Mas.

Glycymeris cornubiensis crassa marmorata.

fig.

&.

Petiv. p. 84.

No. 816.
Bastard, or dog's cockle.

Area glycymeris,

orbicular,

Ratty Dublin,
Perm. Br.

p. 379.

Zool.

No. 58.

tab. 58. fig. 58.

Orbicularis crassa subalbida lineis rufulis sagittaeformi-

Glycymeris.

bus variegata,
crenato.

intus

obfuscata margineque

Orbicularis.

Da

Cotta.

Br. Conch,

p. 168, tab. H.fig. 22.

This species
those

which

is

found, of a large size, in the Mediterranean sea

inhabit the English coast, as

rarely exceed the size of the smallest specimen
It

is

land,

;

Falmouth and Cornwall,

we

have represented

found likewise on the shores of Guernsey, and the coast of Ire-

where

it is

called the clog's cockle.



38


PLATE

XXXVIII.

MUREX CORNEUS.
HORNY, Or SLENDER WHELK.

GENERIC CHARACTER.
Spiral,

rough.

The

aperture ending in a

strait,

and somewhat pro^

duced gutter, or canaliculation.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
AND

SYNONYMS.
Slender, white.

Mouth oblong

Spires eight, swelled.

oval, ending

in a produced or lengthened deep twirled gutter.

Murex corneus

:

testa

oblonga

rudi,

tuberculoso,

apice

planatis,

anfractuum marginibus com-

cauda adscendente.

Linn.

apertura

Srjst.

edentula,

Nat. p. 1224.

Xo. 565.

Buccinum

angustius,

admodum

tenuiter

spirarum.
tab. Z.fig.

striatum,

octo

H. An. Angl. p.
4.—App. H. An. Angl.
List.

minimum
157.

p. 15,

Lesser long and smooth whelke, Dale Harw. p. 381. No.

Smith Cork, p. 401. No.

Narrow-mouthed whelke, with
p. 401.

Murex

corneus, Horny.

No.

4.

16.
2.

—

7.

eight wreaths.

Wallis

Northumb

7.

Penn. Brit.

Buccinum canaliculatum medium,
spirarum.

tit.

Zool.

No. 99.

tab. 76. Jig. 99.

angustius, album, striatum, octo

Gracile Da

tab. 6. Jig. 5.

A 3

Costa, p. 124, sp. 74.


PLATE
This
alive

is

shell

is

XXXVIII.

white, semi transparent, and rather glossy

;

and when

covered with a fine thin brown film, or epidermis, which

striated spirally.

It is

is

found on several of the English coasts, as

Yorkshire, Northumberland, Essex, &c. and also on the shores of
Scotland and Ireland.



1

I


PLATE

XXXIX,

FIG.

I.

HELIX CORNEA.

RAMS

HORN.

GENERIC CHARACTER.
Aperture of the mouth, contracted, and lunated.

SPECIFIC

CHARACTER
AND

SYNONYMS.
Wreaths, four, turned nearly horizontal: rather depressed or concave
towards the centre.

Helix Cornea:

Cochlea

pulla,

testa supra umbilicata plana nigricante, anfractibus

—-F. Suec.

No. 1304. //. No. 2179.

I. p. 373.

1

ex utraque parte circa umbilicum cava.
p. 143.

Cochlea maxima, compressa,
jig.

tit.

fluviatilis

Grew. Mus.

p.

List.

H.

pulla quatuor

lacustris.

.

List. II.

Conch, tab. 136.

orbium coccum

Id. tab. 137. jig. 41.

136.

major vulgaris.

Helix Cornea, Horny.

.

26. tab. 2. jig. 26.

fasciata.

40. — Cochlea

fundens, purpura
Flat Whirl.

Planorbis

243 No. 67 1

Sj/st.

Angl.

The

Nat. p.

quatuor teretibus. Lin.

Penn. Br.

A 4

Petiv. Gazoph. tab. 92. jig. 5.
Zool.

No. 126.

tab. 83. jig. 126.


PLATE
Helix

ex utraque parte
depressa major, anfractibus quatuor,

fiuviatilis

circa

umbilicum cava.

13.

Da Costa

Cochlea

S.

Purpura.

fiuviatilis

Anai.

The

XXXIX.

compressa

jig.

List.

major.

Exerc,

59.

2. p.

adult shells of this species are from three
quarters of an inch,

brownish or ashen colour,
inclining
shells are whitish

young

It

4.

tab. 4. fig. 13.

Br. Conch, p. 60.

to an inch and a
quarter in diameter

the

Tab.

Cornu arietis.

is

common

very

in

some to

red, in others to

yellow;

and more transparent.

ponds and

in

the colours various, generally

;

The

rivers.

animal

is

blackish

brown, and has two red capillary horns *.

The Helix Nana,

Da

or

Dwarf of Pennant,

Costa and other conchologists, as a
young

* " This

fish

all

the

He

shell.

year, especially in April and September.

says,

this

humour may be

scarlet

considered by

shell

of

this species.

grain of salt of any kind, or a

if a

emits a fine scarlet humour,

pepper or ginger, be put into the mouth of the

is

125,

fig.

It emits this fine scarlet

Dr. Lister gives a

readily got, and

in

The

if

sprinkled with powdered allum, and the rest of

may

colouring part

colour

is

and

lost,

with vinegar,

spirit of

dull,

can this liquor be kept by
it

itself

narrow mouthed

In

honey thrown over

it.

remains like clear water.

Thus

manner

pure and unmixed; for

colour

this

is

fluid,

to discover

whether

ration or incision, as blood

;

it

in

of so fugitive

observations and

was

a saliva

it

impossible far

him

to

;

its

mixed

vain did the doctor strive to

a

humour

and with

oil

or

nature, that no acid or
its

tint."

experiments he

made on

this

of the body, or to be got by lace-

from the throat or stomach

rnour contained in certain vessels or
parts

ments rendered

a

if

or common salt dissolved, this;
when mixed with allum. Neither

bottles or phials, perfectly well closed,

Dr. Lister further recites some

scarlet

Moreover,

salts,

as

astringent has been found sufficient, to preserve the elegance of
*'

then

a little salt;

it

it.

a large

humour immediately

unpleasant rusty brown.

wine, deliquated vegetable

elegant scarlet colour perishes in the same

preserve

it

if

be strained through a filtering paper, but the elegance of

changes into a

it

account of

great quantity,

parcel of these shells be wrapped up in a cloth bag, sprinkling over
the scarlet liquor will ouze
The colouring part of this
plentifully.
subsides,

full

little

humour

;

or a particular hu-

but the nicety and difficulty of the experi-

determine,

it

precisely."

Da

Costa, page 6i, 62j


FLATE

XXXIX,

FIG.

IT.

HELI^ LAPICIDA,
ACUTE EDGED.

SPECIFIC

CHARACTER
AND

SYNONYMS.
Above and beneath

rather convex

back of the wreaths carinated.

;

Deeply umbilicated.

Helix Lapicida:

testa carinata umbilicata utrinque

convexa, aper-

Linn.

tura marginata transversali ovata.

Cochlea

testa utrinque

convexa, subtus perforata, spira acuta apertura

Linn. Faun. Suec.

ovata transversali.

No. 1293.
Cochlea

11.

pulla, sylvatica, spiris in

Angl. p. 126.
Cochlea

Planorbis

1.

p. 371.

No- 2174.
aciem
tit.

nostras, umbilicata, pulla.
terrestris

Sj/st.

p. 1241. No. 656.

Nat.

List.

depressis.

H. An.

14. tab. 2.
fig. 14.

Hist. II. Conch, tab. 69. fig. 68.

Anglicus, umbilico minore, margine acuto.

Mus.

Peiiv. p. 69. No. 734.

Cochlea

terrestris

media acie acuta
edge.

Helix Lapicida.

land cheese shell with a
sharp

Petiv. Gaz. tab. 92. fig. 11.

Rock. Penn. Br.

Cochlea umbilicata, margine

Da

:

in acie

Zool.

No. 121.

tab. 83. fig. 121.

acuto depresso,

Acuta,

sharp.

Costa Br. Conch, p. 55. tab. 4. fig. 9. 9.


PLATE
This species
Britain

"
says

seems

it

is

found in several countries of Europe.

to

be a local and rather

though found in

any plenty, but

XXXIX.

is

many

scarce.

I

uncommon

parts of England,

kind.

is

In Great

Da

Costa

not met with in

have found them on the rocks,

at

and

near Matlock, in Derbyshire, about Bath, in Somersetshire, also on
rocks

;

in

Surrey, Wiltshire, and Hampshire, in

bodies of large trees, and in woods.
grass in

Lincolnshire

and Woolwich,

in

;

Mr.

:

;

between Charlton

in hedge-bottoms, in

common

or frequent
any where."

page 56.

last

Oakly

and Mr. Wallis, on the rocks in Nor-

but they are not

* Not uncommon

moss on the

Dr. Lister found them on the
in hedges,

Kent*; Mr. Morton,

Parva, in Northamptonshire

thumberland

Petiver,

the

summer

in the

woods of Kent.




PLATE

XL.

MYTILUS UMBILICATUS.
UMBILICATED) OR WRY BEAK MUSCLE.
GENERIC CHARACTER.

The

hinge toothless, and consists of a longitudinal furrow.

CHARACTER

SPECIFIC

AND

SYNONYMS.

Hinge much depressed and bent inwards.

Mytilus Umbilicatus,

umbilicated.

Penn. Br.

Zool. sp. 76.

fig. 76.

Mytilus Curoirostratus.

Wry

Beak.

Da

Costa Br. Conch,

p. 220. 50.

We are informed by Pennant that this shell was discovered
Reverend

Hugh

Davies

;

that

it

is

a rare and

new

species,

by the
and

is

sometimes dredged up off Priestholme Island, Anglesea.
about half the size of Mytilus Modiolus, and in some respects
the very remarkable and peculiar
but is
resembles
It is

it;

distinguished

by


PLATE
structure of

its

hinge

winding manner,

;

XL.

the space opposite to

into a deep

it is

rugged cavity, which when the

are closed, form a deep hollow, or umbilicus, as

one valve
the other.

this

depression

is

bent inwards, in a

more deeply

if

shells

bruised in.

inflected inwards than

On
on




PLATE
FIG.

XLL
I.

TELLINA IN^EQUIVALVIS.
XJ

TELLE??.

NEQJJAL-VALVED

GENERIC CHARACTER.

The

hinge usually furnished with three teeth

on one

shell generally
sloping

;

side.

CHARACTER

SPECIFIC

AND

SYNONYMS.
Oblong, one

much produced

side

or beaked

;

upper valve

flat,

lowef

very convex.

Tellina InvEquivalvis:

testa oblongo-rostrata, valva altera
plana.

Gmel. Lin.

The

Tellina inaqvivalvis

the Mediterranean

and

seas,

that die species has

ceived a specimen of
it

it

by

as

a native of

not been hitherto

It is

generally admitted

been discovered on our shores,

of Whitehall, has very lately re-

from the Guernsey

to figure

Gmdin

but has

by any author.

and William Pilkington, Esq.

favoured us with

noticed

Norway

described as a British shell

by Conchologists

is

Syst. Nat. Conch. 3233. sp. 23.

and describe,

coast,

which he obligingly

PLATE
FIG.

XLL

II.

TELLINA VARIABILIS.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

somewhat oval or oblong,

Shell

radiated with pale red streaks

a single tooth in the hinge of one valve, which

two

on the other

teeth

Solen Vesperttnus

valve,

:

when

testa ovali

is

inserted

;

between

shut.

oblonga spadiceo-radiata, cardinis

sinistra valvae dente solitario duplici alterius inserto-.

Gmel. Lin. Syst. Conch,

This

is

Portland

either

3228.

sp. 20.

the Tellina variabilis of the late Dr. Solander, and the

Museum

Found on
by

p.

;

Gmelin arranges

it

the coast of Cornwall and

Pennant

or

Da

amongst the Solens.

Weymouth, and

Costa as an English

shell.

not noticed