ON CEPHALOPODA. 309 
at land, or in some muddy cavity where fish occasionally 
retire ; in fine weather it remains but little upon the water. 
He concludes that this animal is but slightly attached to 
its shell, from the quantity of empty teste which are found 
either floating on the surface of the water or cast upon the 
shore. But this circumstance is more probably attributable 
to another cause; namely, that being without cover, or de- 
fence, the nautilus is an easy prey to the voracious crustacea. 
This appears to be fully proved by the empty shells being 
damaged on the edges. 
This animal is in no great request for the table, because its 
flesh is extremely hard ; but its shell serves for the purpose of 
making drinking-vessels. According to the Dutch author just 
quoted the savages make spoons of it, which they call papeda 
in the eastern islands. . 
From his time no person has described from observation 
this singular molluscum, which in all probability exhibits 
‘numerous relations with the octopi, but which likewise must 
differ considerably from them. . The form and number of the 
tentacula are very different. It appears even that these ani- 
mals are not provided with those singular suckers which are 
found in all the species of cryptobranchia that are known, 
unless we believe that the digitations about the size of a straw 
supply their place. The disposition of the mantle is also 
altogether different ; it forms, in fact, a large advancing piece, 
which lines the whole cavity of the shell, and which, very 
probably, even out-edges it, or contains a portion of it in its 
interior. But more especially, this animal is provided with 
a shell which resembles nothing that we are at present ac- 
quainted with in the living state, if it be not that of the 
spirula. It is tolerably thick, particularly if we compare it 
with that of the first nautilus of Aristotle, to which the name 
of papyraceous has been given, in consequence of its tenuity. 
Its mode of growth is altogether similar to that of other shells, 
