758 MOLLUSCA—CUTTLE-FISH. 
which tne pigment called China ink is procured ; and the ancients extracted 
the beautiful purple color, with which the garments of their princes and 
nobles were dyed, from certain species of purpure inhabiting the coast of 
Tyre. 
ORDER IJ.—CEPHALOPODA. 
Turse animals are distinguished by having a mantle in the form of a dag, 
containing the lower part of the body; head protruding from the bag, 
crowned with inarticulated arms, furnished with cups or suckers, and sur- 
rounding the mouth; two sessile eyes; mouth with two horny mandibles; 
three hearts; the sexes separate. 
THE GREAT CUTTLE-FISH2 

Tuis singular creature, which is about two feet long, has eight arms or 
claws, furnished on the interior side with little round serrated cups, by the 
contraction of which the animal lays fast hold of any thing that comes in its 
way. Besides these eight arms, it has two tentacula, four times longer than 
the preceding, and also pedunculated. When the suckers adhere to any 
thing, it is very difficult to loosen their hold. The mouth is situated in the 
centre, and is horny and hooked, like the bill ofa parrot. It is so strong 
that the animal can break to pieces the shells of limpets and of other 
marine, testaceous creatures on which it feeds. The eyes are below, and 
surrounded with several silvery rings; they are as large as the eyes ofa 
zalf, but are very prominent, and rather resemble the eyes of a crab. The 


1 Sepia officinalis, LAMARcK. The genus Sepia has the body fleshy, depressed, con- 
tained in a bag, which is obtuse behind, and margined on cither side in its whole length, 
by a narrow fin; a free, calcareous, spongy, and opaque bone included ia the body near 
the back; mouth terminal, surrounded with ten arms furnished with cups, of which two 
are pedunculate, ail longer than the others 
