Fig. 139.—Solen siliqua
The valves have been separated and the mantle divided to expose the large foot
We now come to the interesting family of Razor shells (Solenidæ), specimens of which are washed up on almost every sandy beach, while the living molluscs may be dug out of their burrows at low-water mark. The shells are elongated, gaping at both ends with an external ligament; and the hinge has usually two teeth in one valve and three in the other. The foot of the animal is cylindrical, large and powerful; and the siphons are short and united in the long species, but longer and only partially united in the shorter ones. The gills are long and narrow, and are prolonged into the inhalent siphon.
These molluscs lie vertically in their deep burrows at low-water mark, the opening of the burrow having a form resembling that of a keyhole. While covered with water they occupy the upper portion of their abode, but sink to a depth of a foot or more when the tide goes out. As we walk along the water’s edge at extreme low tide we may observe jets of water that are shot into the air before us. These are produced by the sudden retreat of the ‘Razor-fish’ to the bottom of its burrow when alarmed by the approaching footsteps. Owing to this wariness on the part of the mollusc, and to the considerable depth of its burrow, specimens cannot be obtained by digging without much labour; but if a little salt or some other irritant be dropped into the hole, the animal will soon rise to eject it, and may then be shut out from the lower part of the burrow by sharply driving a spade below it. This is undoubtedly the best method of securing perfect specimens for study or preservation, but fishermen often obtain large numbers, either for food or for bait, by suddenly thrusting a long hook down into the gaping shells, and then pulling them out. This method always does injury to the soft body of the animal, and often damages the shell, but answers the fisherman’s purpose exactly.
We give illustrations of two shells belonging to the typical genus (Solen), including one on [Plate V.]; also a British representative of each of two other genera of the family—Cerati-solen and Solecurtus, the latter of which, as the name implies, contains shorter species.
Fig. 140.—1. Solen ensis. 2. Cerati-solen legumen. 3. Solecurtus candidus
The next family—the Tellinidæ—contains a number of well-known molluscs that burrow into sand or mud, and are enclosed in shells that are often very prettily marked; and although the family includes several genera, all may be recognised by the following general features. The shell is compressed, composed of two equal valves, with little or no gape, and the ligament situated on the shortest side. The central or cardinal teeth never exceed two in number in each valve, and the adductor impressions are round and polished. The mantle is quite open at the anterior end, and its margins are fringed; the foot is flattened and tongue-shaped; and the siphons, which are quite separate, are generally long and slender.