The Zoologist — October, 1873. 3709 



dimensions and their forms, and appear and disappear momenta,rily. The 

 whole body, — arms, fins, and all, — the parts which before appeared free, 

 display the spots which, when looked at attentively, are seen to play about 

 in the most singular manner, having the appearance of a coloured fluid, 

 injected with constantly varying force into cavities in the substance of the 

 skin, of ever-changing dimensions. Now the spots become rings, like the 

 markings of a panther's skin ; and as the little creature moves slightly, 

 either side beneath the fin is seen to glow with metallic lustre, like that of 

 gold leaf seen through horn. Again the rings unite and coalesce, and form 

 a beautiful netted pattern of brown, which colour increasing leaves the 

 interspaces a series of white spots on the rich dark ground. These and 

 other phases are every instant interchanging and passing suddenly and 

 momentarily into each other with the utmost irregularity. But here is a 

 change ! One is hovering in quiescence, his colour pale, almost white; one 

 of his fellows shoots along j ust over him ; with the quickness of thought, 

 the alarmed creature turns from white to an uniform deep brown, the rich 

 full colour suffusing the skin in a second, like a blush on a young maiden's 

 face. The hue is very beautiful ; it is the fine, deep, sienna-tint of tortoise- 

 shell ; a substance which, indeed, the mingling clouds of brown and pellucid 

 horn closely resemble in the intermediate phases of colour. Hitherto we 

 have seen the Sepiola only in the pail of water into which it was turned out 

 of the net. After a little while it drops upon the bottom, and crouching up 

 remains motionless ; if you rouse it, it will again swim for a few minutes, 

 but presently seeks some corner, into which it thrusts its rear, and huddles 

 up as before. This is all that you will see of its habits under such circum- 

 stances ; for in all probability the morning will reveal your protege a lump 

 of white jelly, dead and stiff, with uncoiled arms, on the naked floor of his 

 prison. But introduce him while in health into an Aquarium, where living 

 sea-plants are perpetually revivifying the water, and where the bottom, 

 varied with sand, gravel, and pieces of rock, imitates the natural floor of 

 the sea, and you will soon see other particulars in the economy of our little 

 friend, which will, I doubt not, charm you as much as they have pleased 

 me. The Sepiola is a burrower ; and very cleverly and ingeniously does it 

 perform a task which we might at first suppose a somewhat awkward one — 

 the insertion of its round corpulent body into the sand or gravel. Watch it 

 as it approaches the bottom, after a season of hovering play such as I have 

 described. It drops down to within an inch of the sand, then hangs 

 suspended, as if surveying the ground for a suitable bed. Presently it 

 selects a spot ; the first indication of its choice being that a hollow about 

 the size of a silver fourpence is forcibly blown out of the sand immediately 

 beneath the group of pendant arms. Into the cavity so made the little 

 animal drops ; at that instant the sand is blown out on all sides from 

 beneath the body backward, and the abdomen is thrust downward before 



second series — vol. VIII. 3 B 



