332 Dr. G. Bennett on tlie Pearly Nautilus. 



on shore we trawled in 300 fathoms, and received among other 

 things a line specimen of the Pearly Nautilus [Nautilus 

 pompilius), which we kept living in a tub of water for some 

 time, in order to observe its movements and attitudes." 

 With reference to this interesting capture of a living Nau- 

 tilus, I very recently received a letter from Prof. Rolle- 

 ston, dated Oxford, 18th March, 1875, in which he says, 

 " 1 have just been through a long journal of Moseley's, relating 

 all his experiences and observations on board the ' Challen- 

 ger,' between Sydney, New Zealand, Fijis, and Cape York. 

 1 have compared his account of the capture of his Nautilus 

 with your account of the capture of yours. The ' Challen- 

 ger's ' Nautilus appears to have been obtained from a depth 

 of 320 fathoms on a coral bottom ; and it must have been much 

 discomposed by the great differences in pressure to which its 

 upheaval subjected it ; but they got it up alive, however dis- 

 composed, and they had consequently the opportunity of 

 observing how it behaved. It propelled itself after the manner 

 of the Cephalopods, backwards, if that may be an alloAvable 

 Hibernicism ; but what would not have been expected was the 

 arrangement of its tentacles, each pair of which had a definite 

 and divergent direction — one pair, for example, looking directly 

 downwards, and two other pairs around the eyes being ar- 

 ranged so as to protect that organ as it were. This it was, 

 Moseley says in his Journal, which gave the most character- 

 istic appearance to the creature. But pleased as they all were 

 on board the ' Challenger ' with this novel sight, I can under- 

 stand that you had a feeling of still greater freshness when 

 you had, as the first of scientific observers, the animal in 

 your hands in 1829 ! How much was based upon the dis- 

 covery ! how much was cleared up by it !" 



The extraordinary depth at which the ' Challenger's ' 

 specimen of the living Nautilus was obtained far exceeded that 

 which would have been anticipated both from previous ac- 

 counts and observed facts, the natives capturing them in their 

 traps at from 3 to 5 fathoms, when the experienced and keen 

 eye of the native would be able to descry them in their usual 

 position, clinging to some prominent ledge, with the shell 

 turned downward.s on the coral reefs. It is more than pro- 

 bable that the Nautilus, not being considered a deep-sea mol- 

 lusk, was obtained by the trawl as it passed near the reef, 

 or when the creature was floating at a certain depth, but not 

 on the surface, as when my specimen was captured, and it 

 was thus brought up by the trawl-net. T was informed by an 

 jobserver on board the ' Challenger ' that the captured Nau- 

 tilus, as it swam about in the tub, propelled itself by ejecting 



