1 94 Notes on certain Molluscous and Aquatic Animals, 



of war (Physalia pelagica), so common in the calms of the 

 Atlantic Ocean, repel several large fish, which, with a violent 

 splashing and eager motion, were endeavouring to seize and 

 devour it, but were constantly overcome by the stinging par- 

 ticles which nature has given for the protection of this soft, 

 defenceless, and splendid animal. The Cephalopoda have 

 the power of ejecting their coloured secretion to some dis- 

 tance. I was lately in search of shells, wading, with a friend, 

 on a reef, who was much terrified at being suddenly covered 

 from head to foot with the inky discharge of a captured 

 Sepia. 



11.24?. Many of our floating Marine Atiimals are highly 

 poisonous to the Skin. — I have known a soldier in the neigh- 

 bouring garrison suffer dreadfully while bathing with the 

 troops. I saw the man's arm, in the hospital, much swollen 

 and inflamed. The torture he endured was very great, and 

 did not cease for several days. 



The Cuttle Fish, or, as they are here called, sea cats, do 

 not in our seas attain to any formidable size. They are 

 sometimes eaten. They are very quick in their motions : in- 

 deed, it is a difficult task to secure them without a spear, so 

 quickly do they hobble away under the rocks. 



The Motion of most free Bivalves is moderately slow, and 

 interrupted, and the protruded foot is principally used. I 

 have to describe a new genus, closely allied to Lima Sowerby, 

 which is locomotive, and swims (by opening and closing the 

 valves, and the action of the numerous large tentacula with 

 which the margins of the cloak are fringed) with as much 

 ease as a fish. The collector, indeed, in deep water, without 

 a drag net, would have no little trouble to secure it. 



I. 198. This gelatinous and offensive Substance was, doubt- 

 less, of animal origin, though it might be difficult to ascertain 

 what produced it. The sea is sometimes covered to a vast 

 extent with a subgelatinous, brownish, floating scum, which 

 may prove to be the ova of marine creatures. The larger 

 Gorgon?^, on the death of their aggregate Polypi, are some- 

 times covered with a gelatinous coat, exceedingly difficult to 

 remove. The air scarcely dries it ; and, if moistened by rain, 

 it is quickly restored : boiling alone seems to remove it alto- 

 gether. The jelly seems to be highly acrid. On a late 

 dredging expedition, my hands were so completely poisoned 

 from fishing up GorgomVe, from the spicula of marine bodies, 

 and the brittle spines of a kind of Ophiura, that for many 

 days I could not dress myself. The cuticle of my fingers 

 fell off, and their natural sensation was not for a long time 

 restored. 



