450 THE OCEAN WORLD. 



retaining its prey are conical, very long, and all of the same form. 

 Each of them has towards its axis a longitudinal canal, which encloses 

 a great nerve, which is also surrounded with muscular fibres, arranged 

 in rays. The suckers, already described, occupy all the internal 

 surface of the eight tentacular arms, which are arranged in two rows, 

 having the form very nearly of a semi-spherical capsule. Of these 

 suckers, each arm of the cuttle-fish carries about two hundred and 

 forty, the total number being nearly a thousand. The mouth we 

 have already described, in Dr. Roget's words : " The teeth move 

 vertically, much as the cutting edge of the two blades of a pair of 

 scissors move upon each other, tearing the prey by. the assistance of 

 their hooked terminations." 



The tongue is covered on its upper part by a thick horny bed, 

 bristling in the centre with a series of recurving teeth, while its edge 

 is armed with three other erect teeth, which are slender and hooked. 

 The oesophagus is long and slender. At the abdomen the gullet 

 expands into a sort of frill, to which succeeds a gizzard, with strong 

 fleshy walls ; and, finally, a very short intestine, which directs itself 

 forward, terminating on the median line of the body. Towards the 

 anterior parts is a cavity, of which a few words must be said. It 

 occupies the free space comprised between the exterior surface of the 

 abdomen and the internal face of the mantle ; and here the respi- 

 ratory organs, namely, the tranchite, are lodged. Here, also, are the 

 reproductive and excretory organs. 



The branchiae, which are two in number, are voluminous, but short, 

 tufted, and leaf -like. The branchial cavity can dilate and contract 

 itself alternately. It communicates externally by two openings : ths 

 one, fashioned into a cleft, receives, while the other, which is pro- 

 longed into a tube, serves to eject, the water, and becomes a powerful 

 organ of locomotion. 



The inspiration of the animal is thus made by a cleft in the mantle, 

 and expiration by the tube : the renewal of the respirable liquid acts 

 as a sort of sucking and forcing pump, at the surface of the lamellar 

 branchials. The cuttle-fish, in short, will be at no loss to reply to 

 the question of the Don Diego of Corneille 



" Rodrique, as-tu du cceur ?" 



for they have three hearts. The two first are placed at the end of 



