268 Mr. J. E. Gray on the Animal of Nautilus. 



is the thread of cells covered with the gelatinous mass. E is the 

 upper, F the under end of the stem. A, B, C, D are the funnel- 

 shaped tubes of gelatine, but the margin of B, C, D, together 

 with its very short fringes, is by a fortunate accident in cutting 

 turned downwards, and so shows the nature of its construction, 

 which is very rarely observable on branches which have the fringes 

 in their regular position turned upwards. 



Fig. 2 A shows a spiral. Fig. 5, 10 and 11 represent three 

 others, of very different diameter. By scraping an old plant with 

 a razor I got the spirals, represented fig. 10 and 11, clear out of 

 connection with their stems, lying quite separated from the rest. 

 I foand these spirals, the windings of which are difficult to per- 

 ceive, as they are so very close, wound both ways, to the right 

 and the left. Either one thread alone is spirally twisted, as in 

 fig. 5 and 11, or several together, as in fig. 10. 



I have watched the plant from the end of February to the be- 

 ginning of May without having found any fruit, or having per- 

 ceived any alteration in its structure. 



The dried plant does not show the hair-like apices of the 

 branches and stems, nor the nucleus in the cells. Young plants 

 of 1^'" or 1'" in height show scarcely any branches, spirals, or hair- 

 like drawn-out apices. 



Iodine and spirits of wine do not affect the sheath, but muriatic 

 acid deprives it of its colour, and brings the green strings of the 

 cells in the branches and stems well out in view. 



The plant is named after Miss Warren, of Flushing, Corn- 

 wall. 



XXV. — On the Animal of Nautilus. 

 By J. E. Gray, F.R.S. 



The British Museum two or three years ago procured from the 

 Leyden Museum a specimen of the animal of Nautilus Pompilitis 

 contained in its shell. The specimen has been recently mounted 

 so as to display the animal in its natural position in its shell, for 

 which purpose one side of the outer whorl of the shell has been 

 removed. 



As this specimen differs considerably from the figure of the 

 animal given by Prof. Owen in his admirable memoir on the 

 Pearly Nautilus, and from that in M. Valenciennes^ excellent 

 paper in the 'Archives du Museum,^ vol. ii. p. 257, 1 have thought 

 that a figure of it, engraved by Miss Ann Waterhouse from a most 

 accurate drawing made by Mr. S. P. Woodward, might be inter- 

 esting to your readers. The figure exhibits the organs in their 



