CARINARIA. 



Lam. 



TESTA unlvalvis, tenuissima, hyuHna, conica, 

 vertice reflexo, in spiram coavoluto; iateribus 

 compressis; dorso uniearinato, apertura oblon- 

 ga, Integra, latere dorsali acuniinato. 



Animal heteropodum. 



The Glass Nautilus or C'armaria has been long remarked 

 as one of the most singulai* and beautiful of shells. In 

 our opinion it must be regarded as very nearly related to 

 the Argonaut. So thin and fragile a shell seems scarcely 

 fitted for the place which it occupies about the animal, 

 namely, that of covering and protecting the important 

 viscera, and were it not for our knowledge of the fact that 

 it is external, we should be disposed to think it required 

 a thick and strong covering for its protection against 

 the turbulence of the waves, did we not believe that 

 He who formed it hath made nought \\\ vain, or not 

 for admirable ends,^' and fashioned even this frail vessel 

 with the structure most appropriate to its destined pur- 

 poses. 



The animal, of which this elegant shell forms an 

 essential part, is itself very remarkable, and may be re- 

 garded as characteristic of a peculiar family ; for repre- 

 sentations as well as for a particular description of it by 

 M. Verany of Nice, we refer to the Zoological Journal, 

 vol. V. p. 325. 



