Cuttles 



389 



Sjnrula peronii 



chambered like that of the nautilus, is brought 



across tlie ocean by the Gulf Stream and afterwards 



drifted by currents to our southern 



and western shores; but the living 



animal has not been so transported, 



and in its native waters the animal is 



scarcely ever seen. Our knowledge 



of it is by no means reliable, because 



only damaged specimens of the mollusk have been 



found. We give a figure 

 of the shell for the pur- 

 pose of identification. 



The family Sepiidcc 

 possess an internal shell 

 which is well known as 

 " Cuttle - bone," being 

 largely used by bird 

 fanciers for their pets 

 to peck at, and formerly 

 much in request for 

 making "pounce," now 

 superseded by blotting- 

 paper. 



The Common Cuttle 

 {Sepia officinalis), whose 

 shell is a common object 

 on many shores all round 

 these islands, has been 

 well-known from anti- 

 quity. The ancients used 

 its ink for writing and 



painting, and its shell in medicine as an antacid. The 



animal is not by any means a familiar sight, and 



Common Cuttle 



