124 Beautiful Shells. 



sometimes found on our own shores, where also may 

 be obtained the Common Sepiola, S. vulgaris, 

 usually about three inches long, and the Officinal 

 Cuttle-fish, S. officinalis, which is about a foot in 

 length ; we give below small figures of each of these 

 three species, to show the difference in the shape : 

 the two last, it will be observed, have, in addition 

 to the eight tentacles, which give the generic 

 name Octopus, signifying eight, two long side arms, 

 the use of which does not appear to be very clearly 

 determined. 



NAUTILUS AND AMMONITE. 



The Nautili are called testaceous cephalopods ; 

 our readers know, or ought to know, the meaning 

 of both these terms. Like the Cuttle-fish, they are 

 sometimes called Polypi, because they have many 

 arms or tentacles, the word poly, with which a great 

 number of English words commence, being the 

 Greek for many. An ancient writer named Aris- 

 totle, after describing the naked cephalopods, says, 

 " There are also two polypi in shells ; one is called 

 by some, nautilus, and by others, nauticus. It is 

 like the polypus, but its shell resembles a hollow 



