94 RAFINESQUE’S 
[From ‘‘ The Good Book and Amenities of Nature, or Annals-of Historical 
and Natural Sciences.’’ Philadelphia, 1840. ] 
[63] 
12. On the 3 Genera of Cephalopodes, 
OcytHoEk, TopArus and ANISocTUS. 
My G. Ocythoe altho’ adopted by Leach and others, is yet a pro- 
blematical animal for many, and I find even in late Journals discus- 
sions on its being or not the animal of the Argonauta shell—it would 
be wiser to ask me (the original discoverer) for my opinion or ex- 
perience—I once wrote to Leach about it, but it was during his 
sickness, and I believe he omitted to publish my remarks, which 
were at variance with his. It is time therefore to settle this question, 
or rather throw new doubts on it perhaps; my recollections of my 
Ocythoe are quite vivid as a very remarkable animal. 
I omitted in my short account of the Genus (in my precis of 1814) 
to state the size of this animal, and thence have originated many 
wrong surmises. I did not state that it was the animal of the 
Argonauta since I never dreamt of such a thing, knowing the 
Todarus as the animal often found in it, (in Sicily,) while the 
Ocythoe never could dwell in it, being larger than a man’s head, 
and weighing 15 pounds. 
Such was my Ocythoe tuberculata type of the genus and certainly 
not the same as that of Leach: this.animal was brought to me alive 
in 1811 as a rare kind of Octopus, it was ferocious, endeavoring to 
bite and wound the holder, although out of water for one hour: i 
[64] 
changed color like a Chameleon from white to red in its angry and 
dying moments. It was killed as usual with the Octopus by turning 
its head, a process well known to the Fishermen of the Mediterra- 
nean: else they will live long out of the water and are dangerous 
till dead. I did eat this Ocythoe which afforded a meal for many, 
and it was as good as usual with the Octopus. The Fishermen 
never told me that it-dwelt in the Argonauta, while all deemed their 
Todaru the animal of it, calling the shell and animal by the same 
name, while the Ocythoe was called Pulpw. 
I do. therefore aver that my Ocythoe is not the animal of the 
Argonauta, and could never be, by its size and thick spherical body, 
unfit even to enter it. 
Not so with the Todaru, which was merely indicated in my precis 
as the Loligo todarus; but I have since deemed it a Genus, called 
