ARGONAUTA PAPER SAILOR. 141 



It has long been a doubt whether this animal 

 is the true inhabitant of the Argonauta, and it 

 is supposed by many naturalists to be one of 

 the eight-armed Sepia or Cuttle-fish, which, 

 like the Hermit Crab, having destroyed the 

 original fabricator of the shell, takes possession 

 of the vacated tenement. 



How does this little animal verify the words 

 of the Psalmist, " They that go down to the 

 sea in ships, that do business in great waters, 

 they see the works of the Lord, and his wonders 

 in the deep." Ps. cvii. 23, 24. 



The art of navigation, in the imagination of the 

 poet, owed its origin to the expert management 

 of these little instinctive sailors, whilst their 

 shell it is said, suggested the first idea of a vessel. 

 The name Argonauta, is derived from vam^c 

 (nautes) a sailor, and Argo, the name of the ship 

 in which Jason made his memorable voyage with 

 his companions the Argonauts. 



ARGONAUTA Argo* 



PAPER NAUTILUS, 



Specific Character. Shell having a narrow 

 keel sharply toothed on both edges ; sides flat, 

 with undulated forked ribs ; extremely thin and 

 brittle; colour white, teeth of the keel brown 

 towards the apex. Inhabits the Mediterranean 

 sea, and Indian Ocean. 



* Plate VI. fig. 5. 



