THE PAST AND PRESENT OF CUTTLE-FISHES. 753 



THE PAST AND PKESENT OF THE CUTTLE-FISHES * 



By Dr. ANDEEW WILSON. 



FEW groups of the animal kingdom possess a greater interest, 

 either for the zoologist or for the general investigator, than that 

 selected as the subject of the present article. From the earliest ages 

 in which human curiosity concerning external nature began to develop 

 into scientific observation, the cuttle-fishes have formed subject-matter 

 of remark. In the writings of the classic naturalists they receive a 

 due meed of attention. Their peculiarities of form and habits at- 

 tracted the notice of Aristotle and Pliny ; and even their develop- 

 ment, in its more readily observed phases, was studied in the days 

 when biology was but an infantile science. Tracing the lines of cut- 

 tle-fish lore onward through the centuries of growing culture, we dis- 

 cern the mediaeval spirit of exaggeration and myth seizing upon the 

 group as a likely subject for enlargement and discussion. In the fabu- 



Fig. 1. Cuttle-fishes swimming. 



lous history and " folk-lore " of zoology, the cuttle-fishes have over and 

 over again played a more than prominent part. In the days of their 

 mythical history they have swallowed whole fleets of ships ; they have 

 been credited more than once with the destruction of even an armored 

 navy; and on more than one occasion there can be little doubt that 

 they have played the parts of Sindbad's floating island, and of the 

 " great unknown," the sea-serpent itself. To the modern zoologist, 

 however, eager in his search after the causes which have wrought out 

 the existing order of animal nature, the cuttle-fishes present themselves 

 as an unusually interesting group. 



* Abridged from " Belgravia." 

 YOL. xxi. 48 



