192 MOLLUSKS: CEPHALOPODS. 



than all others, traverses sea and land, and cheerfully 

 endures hunger, thirst, and fatigue, that his collection 

 of shells may lack neither "Argonaut" nor "Nauti- 

 lus," "Cone," "Cowry," nor " Wentle-trap," "Helix" 

 nor "Limnaeid," "Pecten," " Mother-of-Pearl," nor 

 " Unio," nor any other which will enable him to un- 

 derstand more clearly this department of the animal 

 kingdom, and the works of God as revealed in these 

 wonderful objects. 



ARGONAUTS, CUTTLE-FISHES, SQUIDS, AND 

 NAUTILI, OR CEPHALOPODS. 



These animals all live in the ocean, have a mouth 

 armed with a stout beak, resembling that of a par- 

 rot, a large eye on each side of the head, and sur- 

 rounding the mouth are long, muscular arms, or ten- 

 tacles, covered with cup-like suckers, by means of which 

 they cling with the greatest firmness to whatever they 

 lay hold of, it being easier to tear away an arm than 

 to release it from its hold. They have within the 

 body a sac containing an ink-like fluid, with which they 

 cloud the water, and thus conceal themselves whenever 

 they wish to escape from an enemy. The word Cephal- 

 opod means head-footed, and is given to these mollusks 

 because their locomotive organs are attached to the 

 head, as just described. Cephalopods vary from a few 

 inches to several feet in length, according to the kinds. 

 They have a most wonderful power of changing their 

 colors, their hues varying almost every moment. 

 They swim by means of their arms, or with them crawl 

 on the bottom with the head downwards. They are 

 very voracious, eagerly devouring fishes and other ani- 

 mals, whose flesh they readily tear in pieces by their 

 stout hooked beaks. 



