Fossil Nautilus, 



137 



Art. VII. Notice of a Fossil Nautilus found in the Sandstone of 

 the Isle of Sheppey. By Mrs. Lee, late Mrs. Bowdich. 



The annexed figure i^fig. 24.) of aA^autilus (a Pompilius ?) 

 was made from a specimen found among numerous fragments 



of shells in the sandstone of the Isle of Sheppey, and now in 

 the possession of the Rev. Francis Cobbold, Cliff, Ipswich. It 

 is in a semifossil state, has lost its brilliancy, colour, and 

 mother of pearl, all of which depend upon the presence of 

 animal matter ; and the substance in some places is transformed 

 into silex. It is extremely fragile and brittle, but beautifully 

 discloses the siphon passing through the chambers of the shell. 

 This siphon was long a matter of speculation among natural- 

 ists ; but Peroii's discovery concerning the animal of the 

 Spirula threw full light on the subject, and all the univalves 

 divided into septa. It inhabits the last chambers of the shell, 

 which are always much larger than the rest ; a delicate siphon 

 runs through the remainder, for which no use could be assigned 

 for a long time ; but it is now proved that a ligament passes 

 from the back through the whole length of the siphon, and 

 attaches the animal to the shell. This, of course, extends as 



