Animal of Argonaiita. 63 



*' L' existence du muscle n'a aucun rapport a I'accroissement de la 

 " coquille." The extract then proceeds thus, " Par suite de ses obser- 

 " vations exactes et reiterees, I'auteur releve certaines erreurs qui se sont 

 '' accreditees a I'egard de quelques autres parties constitutives, gratuite- 

 " ment attribuees au Nautilio. Les resultats de I'examen ont mis aii jour 

 " d' autres particularites de la meme nature: au total, la partie historique 

 " de I'Argonauta Argo ne laisse plus rien a desirer." 



Risso, who appears to be of the same opinion with M. de Ferrusac, 

 says, " Je n'ai jamais vu retirer cet animal de la mer sans etre toujours 

 " muni de coquille." * 



I have been led to the enquiry which has produced the foregoing 

 quotations by the kindness and liberality of my friend Professor Buckland, 

 who, on his return from Italy last year, presented me with a very beautiful 

 specimen of the Argonauta Argo, Auct., with its inhabitant Ocythoe Anti- 

 quorum, Leach, in the highest state of preservation. To add to the interest 

 of the specimen, which is figured in PI. III. the shell is more than half 

 filled with eggs packed very closely. This animal at least could not have 

 executed the mancEuvre of " shrinking into the body of the shell," f for 

 the mass of eggs must have rendered it impossiblgp' Some of these eggs 

 have been submitted to the examination of Mr. Bauer, and some were 

 given for the same purpose to Dr. Roget. The results were given sepa- 

 rately, without any communication between the observers, and the 

 microscopes were different. Mr. Bauer examined his portion of the eggs 

 by the same microscope as that which he used for the figure appended to 

 Sir E. Home's paper in the Philosophical Transactions above alluded to. 

 He states, that there was no trace of shell in the ovum, only yelk, and that 

 the appearance altogether was similar to that given in the figure published 

 in the Philosophical Transactions. Dr. Roget kindly sent-me the follow- 

 ing letter and a drawing, from which the figures of the ovum were 

 engraved. 



* Histoire Naturelle des principales Productions de I'Europe Meridionale. 

 Tome IV. p. 4. Paris, 1826. 

 t Ante, p. 58. 



