76 THE HISTORY OF AKIMALS. [B. IV. 



The polypus has no hard internal part, but a portion of car 

 tilage round the head, which becomes hard as they grow old. 



13. The females also differ from, the males, for the latter 

 have a passage beneath the oesophagus, extending from 

 the brain to the lowest part of the body. That part to 

 which it reaches is like a teat. Ill the female there are two 

 such organs, which are placed above. In both sexes, some 

 small red bodies are placed under these. The polypus has 

 one capsule of eggs, which is uneven on the surface ; it is 

 large ; internally it is all of a white colour, and smooth. 

 The multitude of the ova is so great as to fill a vessel larger 

 than the head of the polypus. 



14. The sepia has two capsules, and many eggs are in 

 them, like white hailstones. The position of each of these 

 parts may be seen in anatomical diagrams. In all these 

 creatures the male differs from the female, and especially 

 in the sepia. The fore part of the abdomen of the male 

 is always darker than the back ; and more rough than in 

 the female, and variegated wi ,h stripes, and the extremity 

 of the body is more acute. 



15. There are many kinds of polypus ; one. which is the 

 largest of all, is very common. Those near land are larger 

 than those which are caught out at sea. There are smaller 

 kinds, which are variegated ; these are not articles of food ; 

 and two others, one of which is called eledone, 1 differs in 

 the length of its feet, and is the only one of the malacia with 

 a single row of suckers, for all the rest have two ; the other 

 is called bolitrena, 2 and sometimes ozolis. 



16. There are two other kinds which dwell in shells, which 

 some persons call nautilus 3 (and nauticus), and others call 

 it the egg of the polypus ; its shell is like that of the hollow 

 pecten, and not like that which has its shells close together. 4 

 This animal generally feeds near the land ; when it is thrown 

 upon the shore by the waves, after its shell has fallen off, it 

 cannot escape, and dies upon the land. These animals are 

 small in form, like the bolitaena ; and there is another, 6 which 



1 Eledone moschata. Leach. (Owen.) 



2 Eledone cirrosa. Leach. (Owen.) 3 Argonauta argo. (Owen.) 



4 This is probably the meaning of the passage. Two kinds of pectens 

 were distinguished ; the one large, hollow, and of a dark colour, the other 

 broad and sweeter, but harsh. 



5 Nautilus Ponipilius (Owen.) 



