few ; and even when this has occurred, the descriptions and illustrations which 

 have been given of the soft parts being uncombined with anatomy, have rendered 

 the accident of little avail to science. Hence it has happened, that although 

 this species of Nautilus is alluded to, and still bears the name given to it by 

 Aristotle, little has subsequently been added to our knowledge respecting it. 



That Nautilus PompHius was really known to the Father of Natural History 

 appears at least highly probable, from a consideration of the passage supposed 

 to relate to it in the History of Animals, — a passage which, though brief, is clear, 

 and at the same time scarcely applicable to any other animal. After describing 

 (Book IV. Chap, i.) the different forms of the naked Cephalopods (fiaXaKia) 

 with a degree of minuteness and accuracy which has seldom been surpassed, 

 Aristotle lastly treats of those which inhabit shells ; and, in characterizing them, 

 denotes the second of the testaceous genera, by precisely that circumstance 

 which constitutes the most marked and obvious difference between Nautilus 

 Pompilius and the Paper Nautilus, or Argonauta of Linnseus. 



" There are also," he says, " two other genera of Polypi, which are in shells ; 

 of which one is by some called ' Nautilus', and by others ' Nauticus', or ' Egg 

 of Polypus'*. Its shell is like a hollow pectenf, and is not naturally adherent 

 to the Polypus. It feeds very frequently near the land, so that it is cast 

 by the waves upon the sand, where, the shell sUpping from it, it is caught, 

 and dies on the land. This genus also is small, and in form similar to the 

 bolit(Bn(el. 



" But the other genus is in a shell, like a snail: it never quits its shell, but 

 exists after the manner of a snail, and sometimes outwardly extends its arms." 

 Aristot. de Animal, cura J. C. Scaligeri,foL 1619: p. 415. 



* Either from the similarity of the Argonaut shell in texture and relation to its inhabitant to that 

 of an egg, or perhaps because Ocythot at that time, as well as now, was generally found resting on a 

 mass of eggs, occupying the greater part of the shell. Scaliger derives the term Pompilus from 

 this epithet: " atque ex Aristotelis voce ttoXwttocos wov, antea a Plinio scriptum fuisse polypu oon : 

 inde natum ab imperitis enorem pompilum." It is scarcely necessary to observe, that the term is now 

 exclusively applied to the second genus. 



t The comparison without doubt refers to this kind of bivalve, rather than to a comb. See Book IV. 

 Chap. iv. where a species called ktcis is frequently adduced in illustration of the nature of bivalves. 



X The fourth genus of Poli/pi of Aristotle, characterized by odour, the type of which was probably 

 E/edone moschata. Leach. 



B 2 



