410 PEARLY NAUTILUS. 



A mate of a whaler, who had been ship- 

 wrecked upon, and resided among the Fidgi 

 group of islands in the Southern Pacific, for 

 nearly three years, says he has seen the shell 

 of the Pearly Nautilus, containing the living 

 animal, floating on the water, near one of the 

 islands. He had only seen two, as they are not 

 commonly seen with the Jish in them, although 

 the empty shells were very numerous among that 

 group of islands. 



He stated, the first time he saw one, was 

 when in a canoe with some other shipwrecked 

 Europeans ; it was then floating upon the sur- 

 face of the water, the mouth of the shell 

 uppermost. It was enveloped in the mantle, 

 which extended some distance upwards, and 

 over the whole of the shell ; it had such an 

 appearance as to cause one of the men in the 

 canoe to say, " There is a large piece of blubber 

 upon the water :" on approaching it the animal 

 retracting the mantle, displayed the beautiful 

 striped shell, and sank before they could cap- 

 ture it. 



At Manilla, the shells of this species of Nau- 

 tilus are in great abundance ; they are neatly 

 carved, the whole of the coloured part of the 

 shell being removed, and the portion exposed 

 appearing of a beautiful nacre, or mother-of-pearl, 



