CEPHALOPODS. 479 
himself with pustules; this the cuttle-fish does : it not only changes 
colour, but it covers itself with little warts. ‘Observe a cuttle in a 
pool of water,” says d’Orbigny, “as it walks round its retreat—it is_ 
smooth, and of a very pale colour. Attempt to seize it, and it quickly 
assumes a deeper tint, and its body becomes covered on the instant 
with warts and excrescences, which remain there until its confidence 
is entirely restored.” 
The following fact is abbreviated from the “Natural History and 
Fishery of the, Sperm Whale.” Mr. Beale had been searching for 
shells among the rocks in Bonin Island, and was much astonished to 
see at his feet a most extraordinary-looking animal, crawling back 
towards the surf which it had just left. It was creeping on its eight 
legs, which, from their soft and flexible nature, bent considerably 
under the weight of its body, so that it was just lifted by an effort 
above the rocks. It appeared much alarmed, and made every 
attempt to escape. Mr. Beale endeavoured to stop it by putting his 
foot on one of its tentacles, but it liberated itself several times in spite 
of all his efforts. He then laid hold of one of the tentacles with his 
hand, and held it firmly, and the limb appeared as if it would be torn 
asunder in the struggle. To terminate the contest, he gave it a 
powerful jerk ; it resisted the effort successfully, but the moment after 
the enraged animal lifted a head with large projecting eyes, and 
loosing its hold of the rocks, suddenly sprang upon Mr. Beale’s arm, 
which had been previcusly bared to the shoulder, and clung to it 
with its suckers, while it endeavoured to get the beak, which he could 
now see between the tentacles, in a position to bite him. Mr. Beale 
describes its cold slimy grasp as extremely sickening, and he loudly 
called to his friend, who was also searching for shells, to come to 
his assistance. They hastened to the boat, and he was released by 
killing his tormentor with a boat-knife, when the arms were disen- 
gaged bit by bit. Mr. Beale states that this Cephalopod must have 
measured across its expanded arms about four feet, while its body 
was not bigger than a large hand clenched. It was the species called 
the rock-squid by whalers. 
The Spirulide.—This family contains but a single genus, Spzria, 
and but one or two perfect specimens of the perfect animal of S. peroniz 
have been found. The shell is very common, and is found scattered 
by thousands on the shores of New Zealand. ‘The shell is entirely 
nacreous-discoidal ; the whorls are separate, and the last chamber is 
not larger in proportion than the rest. 
The Sepfiade have eight arms rising from the crown of the head, 
armed with four rows of suckers, two long slender arms with broadly- 
