l.W SEA -SHORE LIKE 



Ijeliel it never HwiiuH at the Hiirfaco. The cliariiLerH nf tlie hIicII, 

 the construction of wliicli wo have already mentioned, are lilleil 

 witli gas, this lieiiig a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen reKCiiil)- 

 lijig ordinary air, hut lieing richer in nitrogen. "J'his gas proh- 

 ably serves to increase the Ijuoyaiicy of tlie sliell, so as (o 

 enable tlie animal to move more rapidly. Tiie animal itself is 

 confined to tlie outermost and largest eliamher of the Hljell. 'I'Ijc 

 mouth is provided with a ])air of parrot-Iii<o beaks composed of a 

 black, horny substance, coated on the outside with slielly matter. 

 There are about 90 tentacles aroimd the mouth. These have poorly 

 developed suckers, and can be retractcjd each into its own sjiccial 

 sheath. The sheaths ol two of these tentacles are fused iiito a 

 broad, flat plate called the hood, that serves to [)artially close the 

 aperture f)f the shell when the animal retracts. This hood lies on 

 the back ol' tlie head, while on the ]f)wer side we find a tube made 

 of two side folds which overlap. This is the "siphon" or fun- 

 nel througli which water is expelled, driving the animal back- 

 ward. In this manner it swims through the water near the bottom, 

 gliding along with the aperture of the shell turned upwards and 

 the tentacles held close together and trailing out horizontally. The 

 writer was informed by natives of the Paumotu Islands, h(^wever, 

 that the nautilus also crawls over the bottom, and often buries itself 

 beneath the sand. 



In the Philippine Islands the nautilus is captured in traps 

 somewhat similar in construction to our lobster-pols, the bait used 

 being pieces of chicken or even dead dogs and cats. The animal 

 is eaten In these islands l)ut is not highly esteemed, and a better 

 price is now obtained for the shell, which is used in China for the 

 manufacture of pearl buttons. 



The tentacles and funnel-tube are ojiaque-white, while the 

 hood is speckled with brown and yellow spots. There is a simple, 

 pit-like eye mounted on a short stalk on either side of the head, and 

 this is so placed that it can obtain a view of the surroundings even 

 when the creature Is almost completely retracted, and the aperture 

 of the shell all but closed by the hood. The shell of the nautilus 

 is smooth and white and marked with bands of reddish-brown, 

 while the inner side of the aperture is marked with jet-black where 

 the mantle fold is applied to the shell. The partitions of the cham- 



