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MOLLUSCA—NAUTILUS. 759 
nody is of a reddish brown color, nearly cylindrical. The belly below is 
equal, soft, smooth, oblong-round, of an ash and faintly yellowish color; 
about the middle of the upper part of the body, there is a fin like those of 
fishes, composed of a softish cartilaginous substance, spread out widely on 
both sides, and decreasing towards the tail, till it ends in a point, like the 
broad fins of the ray fish; by means of this fin, it moves itself in swimming, 
having no other membrane for that purpose. From this pointed termina- 
tion of the tail, the French call it the sea-spider, although it has scarcely 
any resemblance to the spider; but rather, with respect to the head, 
approaches to the shape of the star-fish. At any rate, they are very forrnida- 
ble animals. With their arms and trunks they fasten themselves, to resist 
‘he motion of the waves. The females lay their eggs upon seaweed and 
~lants, in clusters like bunches of grapes. Immediately after they are laid, 
they are white, and the males pass over and impregnate them with a black 
liquor, after which they grow larger and resemble black grapes. On open- 
ing one of the eggs, the embryo cuttle is found alive. The noise of a cuttle- 
fish, on being dragged out of the water, resembles the grunting of a boar. 
When the male is pursued by a sea-wolf, or other ravenous fish, he shuns 
the danger by stratagem. He squirts out a black liquor, by which the water 
becomes as black as ink, and undér shelter cf this, he baffles the pursuit of 
his enemy. This black liquor is elaborated in a particular gland. The 
Romans used it as ink; and it is said to be an ingredient in the composition 
of Indian ink. There is a bone in this animal which is converted into that 
useful article of stationary called pounce, and is also used by silversmiths to 
form moulds. This fish was much esteemed by the ancients, and is still 
eaten in the hot countries bordering on the Mediterranean. 
DH SN AU DD Le Set 
Tus animal inhabits a shell which resembles that of a large snail, but 1s 
generally six or eight inches across; within, it is divided into forty parti- 
tions, that communicate with each other by doors, if we may so call ther, 
through which one could not thrust a goose quill ; almost the whole internal 
part of the shell is filled by the animal, the body of which, like its habita- 
tion, is divided into as many parts as there are chambers in its shell; all the 
parts of its body communicate with each other, through the doors or open- 
ings, by a long vessel, which runs from the head to the tail; thus the 
body of the animal, if taken out of the shell, may be likened to a number of 
soft bits of flesh, of which there are forty threaded upon a string. From this 
1 Nautilus Pompilius, Lin. Shell disciform, spiral, multilocular, with sim le walls; 
turns contiguous, the last covering the rest; transverse septa, concave externally, perfo- 
rated in the disc; the margins entire, 
