THE WEST AMEEICAN SCIENTIST. 



Octopus punctatus, of Gabb, is practically the only representa- 

 tive known at San Diego of this class, and needs no further descript- 

 ion than that it is the common devil-fish or cuttle-fish found on all 

 our rocky beaches, which, with its eight long arms armed with 

 tenacious suckers and a well supplied bottle of ink, is a terror to 

 the timid. It often reaches a large size, when it becomes a really 

 dangerous customer. Its usual size with us is ten or twelve inches 

 from tip to tip of the arms A large one is able to inflict a ser- 

 ious wound with its beak. Some Indians consider the flesh a 

 delicacy. 



The pen of a species of squid has been found on our beach and 

 would make the second species at San Diego belonging to this class. 



Argonauta argo, of Linaeus, the argonaut or paper nautilus, 

 common to all warm seas, has been found off the coast of California, 

 according to Cooper, who mentions that hundreds were foud on 

 the beach at Sta. Cruz Island. The argonaut swims in deep water 

 so that it is rarely caught, and is most frequently obtained by its 

 being washed ashore in a storm when it is sometimes found in 

 large quantities. 



No attempt at classification will be made in this paper. We shall 

 only .give the three classes, Cephalopoda (containing the Octopus 

 and argonaut), gastropoda and acephala, to the second of which we 

 now come. 



The gastropods have a distinct head with eyes and tentacles and 

 move by crawling on a broad expansion called the foot. This class 

 includes all the mollusks generally called snails, and contributes a 

 great variety of curious and beautiful forms to conchological cabi- 

 nets. The most beautiful of 'sunny San Diego shells' is the Cali- 

 fornian pearl or ear shell, Haliotis, and excepting that and a few 

 others, they are largely of dull and homely colors ; so that it is not 

 for their beauty, but for their rarity ; for an innate love of nature, 

 or the craze of collecting (too often the latter) that we seek the 

 homes of these humble creatures. 



The first family in the great class now under consideration is 

 that of the spiny rock shell, Muricidae, representatives of which 

 we may find on many mantels in the royal murex of the tropical 

 seas. 



Murex trialatus, of Sowerby, very rarely found on our rocky 

 beaches, varies in color from pure white to brown, and often banded. 

 The shell is one to two inches long, with a well developed spire 

 and canal, and easily recognized by the three foliaceous, wing-like 

 varices or expansions which gives it a triangular appearance, and 

 from which it receives its name. 



( To be continued. ) 



