PEARLY NAUTILUS. 409 



(This occurred in the year 1824.) The animal 

 was not floating upon the water, but was in a 

 hole on the reef ; he does not recollect which 

 part of the shell was uppermost. The mantle 

 of the fish, like a thin membrane, covered the 

 shell, which was drawn in as soon as it was 

 touched, and the elegant shell was then dis- 

 played. '' I and others," observed my in- 

 formant, " when it was first seen, did not no- 

 tice it, regarding the animal, as the membrane 

 enveloped the shell, merely as a piece of 

 blubber ; but having touched it by accident, the 

 membranous covering was drawn in, and we 

 soon secured our beautiful prize." 



" The fish," he further observed, " was a 

 large mass attached to the shell, which we soon 

 extracted and threw away, as we only wanted 

 to collect shells.''' 



The mantle was compared to what he had 

 subsequently seen covering the shells of the 

 Harps and Cowries. 



These animals were not numerous, for this 

 was the only one collected during the time they 

 remained there, or on subsequent visits. 



A section of the shell was afterwards made on 

 board, but none of the appearances, or whether 

 air or water was contained within, could be re- 

 collected. 



