LECTURE XI. 113 



Indian divers become so expert as to be able to 

 continue under water for the space of six or seven 

 minutes. 



This reminds us of the famous Sicilian diver 

 mentioned by Kircher and others, who could re- 

 main so long under water, that he obtained the 

 popular title of Fish. Frederic, King of Sicily, 

 unthinkingly tempted him by the oifer of a golden 

 cup thrown into the sea, to dive near the gulph of 

 Charybdis : he made two attempts, and each time 

 astonished the spectators by the time he remain- 

 ed under water; but in the third attempt he was, 

 as is supposed, caught in the eddy of the whirl- 

 pool, and never again appeared. An ingenious 

 French naturalist, whom I before have had occa- 

 sion to mention, is of opinion that he was caught 

 by a Colossal Cuttle-Fish! !! The accounts how- 

 ever of the Sicilian writers are against this suppo- 

 sition, since they affirm that his body was thrown 

 up on the coast, at above thirty miles distance 

 from the spot where he descended. With respect 

 to the animal inhabiting the pearl-shell, it is (we 

 know) popularly called the pearl-oyster; but iu 

 reality belongs to the Linnaean genus Mytylus. 



