226 JOURNAL OF CONCHOLOGY. 



NOTE ON THE PEARLY NAUTILUS. 



By EDGAR A. SMITH, F.Z.S. 



Zoological Department, British Museum. 



A specimen of Nautilus pompilius, captured at Port Blair, 

 Andaman Islands, has recently been presented to the British 

 Museum, by Mrs. E. Kenny, who has given the following 

 account of its movements during captivity : — 



" It was caught at the surface, near the anchor-cable of 

 H.M.S. 'Osprey,' in this harbour, in a fairly rough sea. The 

 shell, when brought to me yesterday with the fish in it, appeared 

 chipped and broken at the edge, from contact with the chain 

 cable. I at once placed it in a bucket of salt water (it had not 

 been out of its element more than half an hour), and the fish 

 seemed to begin to breathe strongly. The rough, skin-like 

 covering to the mouth [the hood] of the shell appeared to rise, 

 and on each side of it the gills commenced to work in regular 

 pulsations. At the same time the tentacles were protruded 

 in front, and gas or air was expelled, bubbling up at the surface 

 of the water at regular intervals. The whole creature seemed 

 to expand and grow looser, until quite suddenly it became 

 detached from its shell entirely, and lay breathing or working, 

 at the bottom of the bucket. I may remark that once out of its 

 shell, the fish showed no apparent desire to re-enter it. In the 

 empty shell were then seen a few small tad-pole-like creatures, 

 very active in their movements, whether parasites or not I do 

 not know. These were washed off into a glass jar with rum, 

 and the fish was then put into the same jar." 



Unfortunately the specimen was placed in fresh spirit before 

 the above notes were read, the so-called parasites being thus 

 unconciously thrown away with the discoloured spirit. This is 

 much to be regretted, for doubtless these animals, if really 

 parasites, would have proved of very great interest, as no parasite 

 is as yet known in connection with the Nautilus. It seems 



J.C., v., Oct., 1887, 



