ARGONAUT A- PAPER SAILOR. 141 



It has long been a doubt whether this animal 

 is the true inhabitant of the Argonauta, and it is 

 supposed by many naturalists to be one of the 

 eight-armed Sepia or Cuttle-fish, which, having 

 destroyed the original fabricator of the shell, like 

 the Hermit Crab, takes possession of the vacated 

 tenement. 



How does this little animal verify the words of 

 the Psalmist, " They that go down to the sea in 

 ships, that do business in great waters ; They see 

 the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the 

 deep." Ps. cvii. 23, 24. 



The art of navigation, in the imagination of the 

 poet, owed its origin to the expert management 

 of these little instinctive sailors, whilst their shell 

 it is said, suggested the first idea of a vessel. The 

 name Argonauta, is derived from j/avryq (nautes) 

 a sailor, and Argo, the name of the ship in which 

 Jason made his memorable voyage with his com- 

 panions the Argonauts. 



ARGONAUTA, Argo.* 



PAPER NAUTILUS. 



Specific Character. Shell having a narrow 

 keel sharply toothed on both edges ; sides flat, 

 with undulated forked ribs ; extremely thin and 

 brittle ; colour white, teeth of the keel brown 

 towards the apex. Inhabits the Mediterranean 

 sea, and Indian Ocean. 



Plate VI. fig. 5. 



