THE CEPHALOPODS. 247 
nobler creatures than the cuttle-fish. How often does the theo- 
logian or the politician, to elude the arguments of his opponent, 
create a cloud, mistify the subject with words, and retire in the 
obscurity he has created. From the ink of the cuttle-fish the 
sepia, used in water-colour painting, is prepared. 
The beautiful designs with which the great Cuvier illustrated 
his anatomy of the mollusks, were executed with the ink which 
he had collected in dissecting many specimens of the cephalopods. 
It used to be thought that “Chinese ink” was also made from the 
black secretion of some of the members of this group; but it is 
now found that that pigment is prepared from soot. 
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THE BONE OF THE CUTTLE-FISH. THE BONE OF THE CALMAR. 
The most peculiar feature of these animals in an anatomical 
point of view is the “cuttle-bone,” a flat, light, and friable body, 
which gives to the back of the fish its firmness. It is used 
whenever a very fine powder of carbonate of lime is required. 
The jeweller makes use of it; so also does the chemist, who sells 
it for tooth-powder. But these uses are as rare as the powder 
itself. In the calmars, the bone is more cartilaginous; indeed, 
it is semi-transparent, and has somewhat the appearance of a 
broad feather. 
The Belemnites are the fossil bones of cephalopods of this 
class. There are more than 100 species of the genus known. 
They are very abundant in the clay of the Oolite period ; in one 
instance the ink-bag was preserved, the black sepia was still there, 
