122 Notices of several Fishes of Rare Occurrence. 



sand, are yet for the most part larger than chalk animal- 

 cules, and a large proportion of the sand of the Libyan 

 Desert has been proved to consist of such grains." Wea- 

 ver's Views otEhrenbergs discovery, in PhilosophicalJour- 

 nal of London and Edinburgh, vol. 18. p. 386. 



I have seen no notice of these minute shells in this 

 country excepting an accidental one by Dr. A. A. Gould, 

 in his Report on the Invertebrate animals of Massachusetts, 

 in the following words, viz : "Of the very curious and 

 minute Nautilacess, so many of which have been found 

 about the British islands, there are doubtless many among 

 the sands of our shores ; but none have as yet been detect- 

 ed." p. 317. 



During the month of August, 1841, 1 had the satisfaction 

 of finding several of these "curious and minute" shells, 

 mixed with sand, adhering to a species of marine Conferva 

 on the beach of Kennebunk, Me. Two distinct species of 

 these were nautiloid in their structure, and resembled No- 

 NIONINA as figured by Ehrenberg in the Abhandlingen der 

 Koniglichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, aus 

 dan Jahre, 1839 : described as found living in the North 

 Sea. Another species appeared to belong to ROTALIA, and 

 still another species to UUINQUELOCULINA. They are all very 

 minute, and can only be distinguished by a magnifying 

 glass, perceptible to the naked eye as mere points or specks, 

 when laid on some colored substance. The two nautiloid 

 species are very beautiful as seen highly magnified, of a 

 pearly lustre, and partially translucent. 



To the Conchologist, the microscope willopen'perhaps. a 

 new field of interesting observation, and in these and simi- 

 lar " gems of the ocean" hidden wonders surpassing in 

 elegance the richest treasures of the cabinet may be detected. 



NOTICE OF SEVERAL FISHES OF RARE OCCURRENCE. By HENRY WHEATLAXD. 



MONOCANTHUS AURANTiACUs, MITCHELL. The Orange File 

 Fish. See Dekay's Rep. on Fishes of N. Y. p. 333, pi. 



