34 SEPIA, OR CUTTLE "FISH. 



cable to broad flat articles or such as have thick and thin parts. 

 Perhaps the combination of both methods may in various cases 

 be found useful. 



VII. 



Chemical Olservations on the Sepia of the Cuttle Fish. By Mr. 

 Grover Kemp. Received from the Author. 



Introduction. HpHE sepia of the cuttle fish having seldom attracted the 

 -iL notice of chemical writers when treating on animal sub- 

 stances, and its nature and properties being consequently but 

 imperfectly known, the* following experiments, it is presumed, 

 will not be unacceptable to the public j since, without being con- 

 clusive, they may throw some light on the subject, and open the 

 way to further investigation. . 

 Description of The cuttle fish, called by Icthyologists the sepia, or ink fish, 

 the cuttle fish. j s a g er)US f vermes mollusca. Its body is often nine inches 

 in length, and three and a half in breadth j the head being 

 attached to it somewhat in the same way as in the tortoise. It 

 has ten tentacula, two of which are longer than the rest, and 

 pedunculated. Its mouth is furnished with a strong beak of a 

 horn colour, the upper mandible of which is hooked like the 

 bill of birds of the falcon tribe. Its back is formed by a 

 peculiar white pithy substance of a friable texture and oblong 

 shape. 

 Os Senias or ^' s * s ^ ie we ^ known ^ s Sepiae, or cuttle fish bone of com- 

 cuttlefish merce, which is used for taking off the impressions of seals and 



bone ' medals ; forming also a common ingredient in dentifrice. It 



is exactly similar in composition, according to Hatchett, to 

 mother-of-pearl shells, 100 parts consisting of about 24 parts 

 membrane, and 06 carbonate of lime. This bone has no flesh 

 on it, but is merely covered by the external membrane or skin 

 Singular pro., of the fish. A very singular property of this fish is the power 

 perty of emit- wn i cn it possesses of emitting voluntarily a black liquor, not 

 liquor, out °f > ts mouth, as some naturalists assert, but from a small 



opening at the upper part of the belly, which communicates by 

 a narrow duct, to a bag or bladder, situated near the coecum, in 

 by which the which this liquor is formed. The cuttle fish is said to avail 

 fi.hissaidto itself of this property when chased by other fishes, and thus, 

 mie*. ' * by rendering the water turbid anil opake, it is enabled to elude 



their 



