CEPHALOPODS. 311 



luscans. In this animal there is only a single 

 heart, the branchial ones being wanting. 



There is one circumstance which proves this 

 cephalopod to belong to this shell, and not to be 

 a parasitic animal as that of the argonaut has been 

 supposed to be it is this, though the whole body 

 appears to reside in the last and largest conca- 

 meration of the shell, yet there is a small tubular 

 tail-like process which enters the siphon, but 

 which, in the specimen examined by Mr. Owen, 

 unfortunately was mutilated, only a small piece 

 being left, but enough to shew that the animal 

 had power over the whole shell by means of this 

 organ, hence it follows that a Cephalopod is the 

 animal that forms the shell of the nautilus, and 

 its natural inhabitant, which goes a great way 

 towards settling the controversy concerning the 

 real animal of the argonaut, and amounts almost 

 to a demonstration that the celebrated sailor who 

 uses it as a boat, and scuds gaily in it over the 

 ocean, is no pirate who has murdered its natural 

 owner, but sails in a skiff of his own building. 



The only circumstance that now leaves any 

 doubt in the mind of the inquirer, is the very 

 different nature of the cephalopod of the argo- 

 naut and the nautilus, the former appearing 

 to be nearly related to the octopus or poulpe, 

 and belonging to the genus Ocythoe of Rafi- 

 nesque. In this genus the tentacular legs or 

 arms are similar to those of the poulpes, planted 



VOL. I. X 4 



