LECTURE XL 
]63 
Among the principal miracles of Nature 
(says he) is the animal called Nautilos or Pompi- 
los. It ascends to the surface of the sea in a su- 
pine posture, and gradually raising itself up, forces 
out, by means of its tube, all the water from the 
sheD, in-order that it may swim the more readily ; 
then throwing back the two foremost arms, it dis- 
plays between them a membrane of wonderfiil te- 
nuity, which acts as a sail, while with the remaining 
arms it rows itself along •, the tail in the middle 
actins: as a helm to direct its course : and thus it 
pursues its voyage; and if alarmed by any appear- 
ance of danger, takes in the water and descends.” 
The Paper Nautilus is an inhabitant of the 
^Mediterranean and Atlantic seas. In the Indian 
seas is found a species so similar that it has gene- 
rally been considered as a variety : it differs in 
having the shell marked into numerous slight tu- 
bercles on each side the furrows. This is the va- 
riety described by Rumphius, in his account of 
its inhabiting animal, observed by him during his 
residence at Amboyna. There are other species 
and varieties of this genus, which the short limits 
of our lectures will not permit us to particularize. 
I shall only observe that the supposed species, so 
much celebrated under the title of the glass Nau- 
