THE NATURAL HISTORY OF BRITISH SHELLS V3, DONOVAN 1804

3n,

THE

NATURAL HISTORY
OF

BRITISH SHELLS,
INCLUDING

FIGURES and DESCRIPTIONS
OF ALL THE

HITHERTO DISCOVERED

SPECIES

IN

GREAT BRITAIN,

SYSTEMATICALLY ARRANGED

IN

THE LINNEAN MANNER,

AND GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON EACH,

SCIENTIFIC

-^aS^^^P2^By

E.

DONOVAN,

F.L.S,

AUTHOR OF THE NATURAL HISTORIES OF

5^^

BRITISH BIRDS, INSECTS, &C. &C.

LONDON:
PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR,
F.

AND
BY

C.

AND FOR
RIVINGTON, No 6a, ST. PAUL'S CHURCH- YARD,

BYIi

AND LAW,

ST.

JOHN'S SQUARE, CLER KEN WELL.

18)1.


V



<7*


THE

NATURAL HISTORY
OF

BRITISH SHELLS.
—•»»»4£& 099 «-

PLATE
MYA

LXXIII.

MARGARITIFERA.

RIVER PEARL MUSCLE.

GENERIC CHARACTER.
Animal an
for the

Shell bivalve, gaping at

Ascidia.

one end.

The

hinge

most part furnished with a thick strong broad tooth, not

inserted into the opposite valve.

SPECIFIC

CHARACTER
AND

SYNONYMS.
Shell oblong,

much

thick,

decorticated or

and covered with a coarse black epidermis,

worn down about

the beaks.

A

large notched

conic tooth in one valve, and two small ones in the other.

A

2


—
PLATE
jVIya

Margaritifera

LXXIII.

testa ovata anterius coarctata, cardinis

:

natibus

primario conico,

Fn. Saec. 2130.
3219.

Mya

nigrescens crassa

Da

&

Linn.

decorticatis.

Gmel. Linn.

dcnte

Syst.

Nat.

sp. 4.

Margaritifera.

ponderosa margaritifera.

Costa Br. Conch, p. 225. sp. 53. tab. 15.

3.
fig. 3.

Musculus niger omnium crassissima

Gesn.

longae species.
11.

An. Angl.

App.

p. 11.

An. Angl.

11.

Conchae

et ponclerosissima testa.

K
tit.

Aldrov. List. App.
31. tab.

1.

&"
fig. 1.

in Goed. p. 15.

tit.

31.

tab. 1. fig. 1.

Musculus niger omnium longe crassissimus.
Gcfn.

Musculi margaritiferi.

K

Bede Hist.

Ecclesiast. I. I.e.

West. Isles, p. 7.

Mytulus major margaritiferus.

" This
of pearl.

"

is

There have been regular

They

human body.
often cast

it

p. 134.

18. tab. 43. fig. 18.

noted for producing quantities

fisheries for the sake

cious article in several of our rivers.

shell.

SCc.

Wallis Northumb. p. 403. No. 42.

Penn. Br. Zool. No.

shell," says Pennant,

4.

1.

Leigh Lancashire,

Pearl Muscles.

Pearl.

species.

Aldr. Hist. Conch, tab. 149. fig.

Mar fill's

Mya margaritifera.

Conchae longae

of

this pre-

Sixteen have been found in one

are the disease of the filh analogous to the stone in the
-

On

being squeezed, they will eject the pearl, and

spontaneously in the sand of the stream.

" The Conway was noted for them
notion also prevails that Sir Richard

in the days

Wynne,

of Camden.

A

of Gwydir, chamber-


PLATE

lain to

Catherine queen to Charles

which

pearl (taken in this river)

They

crown.

in the regal

or Deluge Shells, as

" The

He

that river.

and

own

" In the

weighed

much

even for

who

put

it

The

a patent for fishing

John Hawkins, had

Magel-

plentiful in the straits of

century, several of great size were gotten in the

Tyrone and Donegal,

The

was valued

at

in

last

was

into a necklace,

One

Ireland.

40l. but being foul lost

Other single pearls were sold for

worth.

101.

flood.

island.

last

its

by the

himself with being enriched by procuring them

thirty-six carats,

of

day honoured with a place

by the Welsh Cregin Diluw,

are called

Sir

the county of

rivers in

to this

had observed pearls

flattered

within his

presented her majesty with a

II.

Cumberland, was also productive of them.

in

Irt,

is

there

if left

famous circumnavigator,

lan,

LXXIII.

4l. 10s.

and

sold a second time to lady Glenlealy,

and refused 80l. for

it

from the duchess

Ormond."

of

"

Suetonius reports, that Caasar was induced to undertake his British

expedition for the sake of our pearls
that

it

was necessary

one*-

I

hand

to use the

imagine Caesar only heard

;

and that they were so large
to try the
this

weight of a single

by report; and

crystaline balls in old leases, called mineral pearl,

that the

were mistaken

for

we

are

themf."

"

We believe that Caesar was

told that

he brought

* Suetm. V\t. Jul Cat.
X

Plinii,

lib.

9.

c

.

home

c. Ixiv.

disappointed of his hope

a buckler

+

"

yet

British pearl J,

Woodward's Method

35. Tacit. Fit. Agrinla.

B

made with

:

of Fossils, 29.

which

part. Z.


PLATE
he dedicated

to,

LXXIII.

A

and hung up in the temple of Venus Genetrix.

proper offering to the goddess of beauty,

who

sprung from the

sea.

I cannot omit mentioning, that notwithstanding the classics honour

our pearl with
coloured
says,

"

;

their notice, yet they report

them

an imputation that in general they are

to

still

be small and
liable to.

ill

Pliny

that a red small kind was found about the Thracian Bospho-

rus, in a shell called

Mya, but does not

give

it

any mark

to ascertain

the species."

The Mya

Margaritifera

is

found only

in great rivers,

those of the northern parts of Great Britain.

Da

and chiefly in

Costa mentions the

Tees, Alne, North and South Tyne, Tweed, Dee, Don, &c. and
adds, generally inhabits the deeper parts, as gulphs, whirlpools,

The

fishermen in the neighbourhood of the river

Conway some-

times collect those shells, and extract the pearl, but as they are

become
little

scarce,

&c.

now

and the price inconsiderable, the fishery affords them

encouragement.



/'

•
1H


PLATE

LXXIV.

TROCHUS CINERARIUS.
UMBILICAL TOP SHELL,
GENERIC CHARACTER.
Animal a

slug.

SPECIFIC

Shell spiral sub-conic.

CHARACTER
AND

SYNONYMS.
Umbilicated or perforated at the base.

Not

very conic.

Five

whirls.—Colours various, generally greenish, radiated obliquely with
red or brown.

Trochus Cinerarius

testa oblique umbilicata, ovata, anfractibus

:

rotundatis.

Linn.

Sj/st.

Nat. p. 1229. No. 590.

Trochus planior umbilicatus, undatim ex fusco

Umbilicalis

Da

Costa.

perbelle radiatus,

Br. Conch, p. 46.

tab. 3. fig. 4. 4.

Trochus planior undatim ex rubro

late radiatus.

List.

H. Conch.

tab. 641. fig. 32.

Umbilicated

Top

shell.

Trochus Umbilicaris.

Dale Harwich,
Umbilical.

p. 381.

Penn. Br.

No.

4.

Zool,

tab. SO. fig. 106.

A very

common

species

on most of the

A 4

British shores.

No.

106.





PLATE

LXXV.

HELIX VORTEX.
COMMON WHIRL

SHELL.

GENERIC CHARACTER.
Aperture of the mouth contracted and lunulated.

CHARACTER

SPECIFIC

AND

SYNONYMS.
Somewhat convex on

Shell of five wreaths, horizontal.
side,

under

side

flat,

Helix Vortex

:

and carinated, or surrounded with a sharp edge.

testa carinata

;

supra concava, aperture ovali plana.

Linn. Syst. Nat. p. 1243.
Cochlea

the upper

testa plana fusca

supra concava, anfractibus quinque, mar-

:

gine acuto.
7. 11.

No. 667.

Linn. Fn. Suec. I. p. 374. No. 130.

No. 2172.

Cochlea exigua, subfusca,
spirarum.

altera parte planior, sine limbo,

H. An. Angl.

List.

p.

145.

quinque
tit.

28.

tab. 2. jig. 28.

Cochlea exigua quinque orbium.
Planorbis polygirata minor.

List. Conch, tab. 138. fig. 43.

Petiv. Gaz. tab. 92. Jig. 6. 7.

Morton Northampt.
Helix vortex.

Whirl.

Penn. Br.

p. 417.

Zool.

No. 124.

tab. 83. fig. 124.


PLATE
Cochlea exigua plana sine limbo.

LXXV.

Planorbis.

Da

Costa. Br. Conck.

p. 65. sp. 36. tab. 4. Jig. 12.

A

very

rivers.

common

It is flat

Limbata of

Da

and

species of aquatic snail in stagnant waters
thin,

and has not a prominent border

Costa, or Helix Planorbis of Pennant.

as in

and

Helix



j6


PLATE

LXXVI.

BUCCINUM RETICULATUM.
RETICULATED WRY MOUTHED WHELK.

GENERIC CHARACTER.
Animal

slug.

Shell spiral, gibbous, aperture oval,

ending in a

short canal.

SPECIFIC

CHARACTER
AND

SYNONYMS.
Oblong,

Mouth

reticulated,

or furrowed transversely and longitudinally.

beset with prominent teeth.

Buccinum reticulatum

:

testa

ovato-oblonga transversim

ftriata,

longitudinaliter rugosa, apertura dentata.

Gmel. Linn.

Syst. Nat. p. 3495. sp. Ill,

Buccinum recurvirostrum cancellatum,
dentato.

columella

Reticulatum.

sinuosa,

Da

labro

Cofia.

Br.

Conch, p. 131. tab. 1. fig. 10.

Buccinum

brevi rostrum cancellatum, dense sinuosum, labro dentato.
List.

H.

Buccinum marinum cancellatum.

Conch, tab. 966. fig. 21.
Small latticed Whelke.

Gaz. tab. 75.

fig. 4.

Petiv-


PLATE

LXXVI.

Dale Harw. p. 283. No.
No.

Smooth chequered Whelk.

Very common on

1. tf p. 255.

3.

Smith. Cork. p. 318.

several of our sea coasts, especially

Essex, Kent, Sussex, &c.

on those of

Also found in Wales and Ireland.



77


PLATE

LXXVIL

VENUS ISLANDICA.
THICK VENUS.

GENERIC CHARACTER.
Hinge furnished with

Bivalve.

the third divergent

three teeth;

two near each

other,

from the beaks.

SPECIFIC

CHARACTER
AND

SYNONYMS.
Shell strong, thick, heavy, covered with epidermis

the hinge

is

inserted gaping.

space in which

;

Margin acute and

entire.

White

within.

Venus Islandic a

:

nymphis hiantibus,

testa transversim striata rudi,

ano nullo. Gmel. Linn. Syst. Nat. 3271.

Da

Pectunculus major crassus, albo castaneus. Crassus,

Conch,

Concha

6 maximis,

Costa Br.

sp. 183. tab. 14. fig. 5.

admodum

List,

sp. 15.

Crassa, rotunda, ex nigro rufescens.

H. An. Angl.

p. 170.

tit.

22. tab. 4. fig. 22.

Pectunculus maximus, subfuscus, valde gravis. List.

H.

Conch, tab.

212.fig. 108.

Venus mercenaria.

Commercial.

53. fig. 47.

Perm. Br.

Zool.

No. 47.

tab.


Kate
Chama

Da

inaecruilatera, laevis, crassa, subalbida.

I.

Conch, tab.

given with his description of Venus Mercenaria.

Venus Mercenaria of Linnaeus
Clam, and of which the

Linnaeus

as

imagined,

or indian

The

North American

the shell called

is

Wampum,

not the species found on

173.

Gualt.

Costa notices a material error amongst the synonyms Lin-

naeus has

is

lxxvii.

money,

is

made

;

this

our coast and figured by Lister, p.
but a shell altogether distinct;

English species L'ster notices,

is

the true

Venus

the

Islandica of the

Linnaean Sjjstcma Natura.

This error has misled Pennant,

who

confounds the North American

kind with our species, at least as a variety having a purple tinge
within

Gmelin was aware of

it.

this mistake,

for

in his edition

of the Systema Naturae, both the plates and descriptions of Pennant and

This

Da

Costa are referred

shell

is

to in the

perfectly white

when

synonyms of Venus

fine,

and

is

Islandica.

thickly covered

with a fibrous epidermis of a black, or brownish colour.

on

several

Yorkshire,

of our coasts.

Lancashire,

shores of Wales.
in Scotland.

Da

Pound

Costa mentions Northumberland,

Dorsetshire,

Caernarvonshire,

and other

Aberdeenshire, and the islands of Orkney, &c»