250 ON THE CLASSES OF THE 



The peculiar character of the Cephalopoda which di- 

 stinguishes them from all other animals is however their 

 system of circulation. This they have been said to pos- 

 sess more perfect than all other animals ; for besides the 

 aortic heart of the Mollusca they have two pulmonary ones. 

 The little confidence that ought to be placed, at this 

 point of the animal kingdom, on the organs of circula- 

 tion as means whereby we may ascertain the true scale 

 of nature, cannot better be demonstrated than by their 

 being thus complicated in imperfect animals so very near 

 to the Mollusca as are the Cephalopoda. Another pecu- 

 liarity of these singular beings consists in the fleshy flex- 

 ible arms or feet with which the head is crowned — those 

 formidable muscular weapons the surface of which is 

 armed with suckers to enable them to take still more firm 

 hold of their prey. These feet are indeed the most es- 

 sential parts of the animal, since with them the Cuttlefish 

 seizes his food, with them he swims and walks. Their 

 peculiar position gives the Cephalopoda two curious 

 characteristics, namely, that they swim with their head 

 behind and walk with it lowermost. The perfect circula- 

 tion which exists in these animals leads us to suspect a cor- 

 responding peculiarity of respiration, and accordingly it is 

 found that they are truly amphibious. They secrete a 

 peculiar fluid of an intense black colour, which they em- 

 ploy for the purpose of obscuring the surrounding water, 

 when they wish to conceal themselves either from their 

 enemies or their prey. This character appears to link them 

 more with the Mollusca than with the Vertebrata. 



Striking the eye by their great size and whimsically 

 complicated forms ; which last hardly have a parallel in 

 nature, the Cuttlefish necessarily attracted the attention 



