UNIVALVES. 1538 
his tail, which serves the purpose of a helm. Thus 
he traverses the ocean like a ship in full sail; and if 
any thing occurs to frighten him, he immediately 
fills his little shell with water in order to increase his 
weight, and betakes himself to his dwelling in the 
fathomless abyss.’’ Hence the sagacious little mariner 
is seldom taken in the act of sailing, but is usually 
drawn up from marine rocks, or entangled in the nets 
of the fishermen. 
Cicero refers to the ocean and its inhabitants as 
affording irrefragable proofs, in connexion with the 
general wonders of creation, of the existence of a 
presiding deity. *‘ How beautiful,” says this enlight- 
ened heathen, ‘‘ is majestic ocean! How delightful 
to contemplate its vast expanse of waters, varied 
with islands and continents! How innumerable and 
diversified the multitudes of living creatures which it 
contains: some dwelling in its deep recesses, others 
sporting on the waves, others again adhering to the 
rocks!” ‘* Who can observe the beauty of the 
universe, the order of the celestial bodies, the rising 
of the sun and moon, and the motion of the stars, 
without being convinced that the world was not 
formed by chance—that God alone is able to be the 
creator and director of so many wonders?” 
This enlightened heathen, and his equally enlight- 
ened countryman, the Natural Historian, Pliny, 
