138 SEFIIDiG. 



Family II. SEPI'ID^, {8ej)idce) D'Orbigny. 



Body oval, compressed : mantle shield-like, edged nearly 

 throughout its length on each side by a narrow fin: head 

 united behind to the mantle by a triangular muscle : eyes pro- 

 vided with a lid. 



Skell (sometimes called "bone") elliptical, solid, formed 

 of numerous horizontal layers, which are interconnected by 

 innumerable minute perpendicular laminae, making the struc- 

 ture cellular or honeycomb -like ; it is margined by a cartila- 

 ginous membrane, and armed at the lower end with a spike 

 or crest. 



The only known genus is 



SE'PIA*, Pliny. PL VI. f. 3. 



1. Sepia officina Lisf^ Linne. 



S. officinalis, Linn. S. N. p. 1095 ; F. & H. iv. p. 238, pi. 000. and (shell) 

 pi. PPP. f. 1. 



Body broad, smooth or slightly tubercled on the back, of 

 beautiful and various colours, usually brown striped across 

 with white in a bifurcating fashion, like a zebra, and covered 

 with irregular purplish chromatophores and white specks ; the 

 ventral area is paler, and the chromatophores are larger and 

 more distinct : fins thin, nearly equal in breadth ; they are 

 interrupted near the base : tentacles very long ; club expanded 

 at the sides into a plaited flounce, and bearing underneath 

 several rows of unequal-sized suckers, those in the centre 

 being large and few, and the terminal ones minute and nume- 

 rous : head comparatively narrow : eyes prominent and black : 

 arms rather short, stout, lanceolate, and subcarinated ; their 

 edges are fringed by a membrane, and the fourth (or ventral) 

 pair is crested ; suckers in 4 rows, equal and regular, but 

 rather small, globular, stalked, and having simple hoops 

 (F. & H.). L. 12. B. 6. 



* Sj^TTtof, Aristotle. 



t Used for medicinal and other purposes. 



