!|3aj)ulatr $3ictionarj} of "Hmmatclf 



167 



ness, and at intervals to pick up something 

 from the ground ; and was so bold as to 

 render it difficult to make it rise from the 

 ground, in order to take a more secure aim 

 on the wing. The note was unlike that of 

 any known bird. A British-killed specimen 

 of this desert-loving bird is preserved in the 

 fine collection in the British Museum. 

 CURUCUI. [See TKOGOX.] 

 CURVIROSTRA. [See CROSSBILL.] 

 CUSHAT. The Wood-pigeon [which see]. 



CUTTLE-FISH. (Octopus.') A mollus- 

 cous animal, belonging to the genus Sepia, 

 order Cephalopoda; and sometimes called 

 the Ink-fish. It is of an oblong form, about 

 six inches in length, and three and a half in 

 breadth. The body is somewhat oval ; but 

 it is broadest near the head, and grows 

 smaller towards the extremity, where it is 

 obtusely pointed. The head is surrounded 

 with eight arms and two feet; the two feet 

 being nearly similar in their structure to 

 the arms, or tentacula, but considerably 

 larger in their dimensions. The head is 

 divided from the sac on all sides by a neck. 

 The sac is furnished on each side throughout 

 its whole length with a narrow fin. The 

 suckers are irregularly scattered on the arms 



COTTtK-FISS. (OCTOPUS.) 



and feet. The back is strengthened by a 

 complicated calcareous plate, which plate 

 has been long known in the shop of the apo- 

 thecary under the name Cuttle-jfeh bone, and 

 was formerly much prized in medicine as an 

 absorbent, but is now chiefly sought after for 

 the purpose of polishing the softer metals. 

 The superior half, or the one next the head, 

 is the longest, rounded at the extremity, and 

 thin. The inferior portion becomes suddenly 

 narrow, and ends in a point. It may be 

 considered as consisting of a dermal plate, 

 concave on the central aspect, having its 

 concavity filled up with layers which are 

 convex on their central aspect. The dermal 

 plate consists of three different laminae, ar- 

 ranged parfllel to one another. The ex- 

 ternal or dorsal lajer is rough on the surface, 

 and marked by obscure, concentric arches 

 towards the summit, formed by minute knobs, 

 which become larger towards the base, where 

 they appear in the form of interrupted trans- 



verse ridges. It is uniform in its structure, 

 and the tubercles possess a polish and hard- 

 ness equal to porcellaneous shells, although 

 they blacken speedily when put in the fire, 

 and contain a good deal of animal matter. 

 On the central side of this layer is one flex- 

 ible and transparent, similar to horn, and 

 smooth on the surface. The third layer is 

 destitute of lustre ; and, in hardness and 

 structure, resembles mother-of-pearl shells. 

 The term bone has been improperly applied 

 to this complicated plate ; for this substance, 

 in composition, is exactly similar to shell, 

 and consists of various membranes, hardened 

 by carbonate of lime, without the smallest 

 mixture of phosphate. Under the throat 

 there is a vessel or bladder containing a 

 fluid blacker than ink, which the Cuttle-fish, 

 when pursued by its enemies, ejects in con- 

 siderable quantities ; and this, darkening the 

 water all around, enables it to escape with 

 facility. The most remarkable species of 

 the genus is the Sepia officinalix, which is 

 distinguished from the others by its smooth 

 skin. It inhabits the British seas, and al- 

 though seldom taken, its " bone " is cast 

 ashore on different parts of the coast, from the 

 south of England to the Zetland isles. It is 

 said that the Cuttle-fish is considered a lux- 

 ury by all classes of the Sandwich islanders, 

 and that when fresh and well cooked it is 

 excellent, being in consistence and flavour 

 not unlike the flesh of a lobster's claw. 



The singular habits of the Cuttle-fish did 

 not escape the notice of Mr. C. Darwin, 

 while at the Cape de Verd islands. " I 

 was much interested," says he, " on several 

 occasions, by watching the habits of an Oc- 

 topus or Cuttle-fish. Although common in 

 the pools of water left by the retiring tide, 

 these animals were not easily caught. By 

 means of their long arms and suckers, they 

 could drag their bodies into very narrow 

 crevices : and when thus fixed, it required 

 great force to remove them. At other times 

 they darted, tail first, with the rapidity of 

 an arrow, from one side of the pool to the 

 other, at the same instant discolouring the 

 water with a dark chestnut-brown ink. 

 These animals also escape detection by a 

 very extraordinary, chameleon-like power 

 of changing their colour " [which Mr. D. 

 minutely describes]. He then adds: " I was 

 much amused by the various arts to escape 

 detection used by one individual, which 

 seemed fully aware that I was watching it. 

 Remaining for a time motionless, it would 

 then stealthily advance an inch or two, like 

 a cat after a mouse ; sometimes changing its 

 colour : it thus proceeded, till, having gained 

 a deeper part, it darted away, leaving a 

 dusky train of ink to hide the hole into 

 which it had crawled. . . . That it possesses 

 the power of ejecting water there is no doubt, 

 and it appeared to me certain that it could, 

 moreover, take good aim by directing the 

 tube or siphon on the under side of its body." 



CYAMUS, or WHALE LOUSE. A small 

 crustaceous animal belonging to the order 

 Lcemodipoda. This minute claw-limbed 

 creature, with others allied to it, inhabits 

 the seas of northern and temperate Europe, 



