ANIMAL KINGDOM. 259 



their treasures to the eye of science. At present, when we 

 consider that it is but as yesterday that Geoffroy St. 

 Hilaire first made known the soft tortoises, we can hardly 

 say that tomorrow may not display to our view an animal 

 still more remarkable, as tending to show us the true place 

 of the Cephalopoda in nature. I would not however be 

 supposed to assert that these two tribes of animals will 

 ever be found actually to shade into one another ; for it 

 cannot be denied that the Cephalopoda possess a con- 

 struction peculiar to themselves, and as distinct from that 

 of the vertebrated animals as it is from that of the Mol- 

 lusca. Their system of circulation and respiration is alto- 

 gether confined to themselves; but certainly is most ana- 

 logous, with the exception of the colour of the blood, to 

 that of the vertebrated animals. The branchiae act on the 

 Water which enters into the sac; but it would also appear 

 that this water can penetrate into the two cavities of the 

 peritoneum, which the venae cava? traverse in their passage 

 to the branchiae, and that it is thus enabled to act on the 

 veinous blood by means of a glandular apparatus or sort 

 of lungs which is attached to the venae. 



The dissimilarity in external form and even internal 

 structure between the various animals which compose the 

 group of Cephalopoda, proves that Nature is here vacil- 

 lating, and on the point of deviating considerably from any 

 form which we have hitherto considered. Who, for ex- 

 ample, at first sight would believe that the Calmar or genus 

 Loligo and the eight-armed Cuttlefish (Octopus) are so 

 nearly allied ? The former, with its short feet and long flat 

 body, weighed down by its internal dorsal bone, seems to 

 have no similarity to the latter, with its long tentacula and 

 round short body. We could almost believe the genus 



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