270 Mr. Griffiths’s Description 
had seen abroad, or in England, nor yet a description in any 
author that I was able to consult, joined to the total ignorance of 
the Dutch inhabitants of Padang, many of whom had been a 
long time in the habit of trading to Battoo without having seen 
or heard of such a production, led me to believe them entirely 
new, and made me extremely desirous to procure some more 
perfect specimens, and such information respecting them, as 
might be acceptable to you, Sir, in your pursuit and inquiry on 
every subject connected with natural history. 
I was consequently induced to send a small praw, with a 
servant of mine ( a Papooa Coffree ) who was very expert in 
diving, and had been employed under my own inspection in 
procuring many submarine objects, which the coast and islands 
near Padang abound with ; it is therefore from his account, 
corroborated by others of the crew, that I can give a descrip- 
tion of the locality of these subjects, with their appearance in 
the water, which I think is correct. 
He stated, that he had found these tube shells in the bay 
before mentioned, and in another inlet of the sea, sticking out 
of rather hard mud, mixed with small stones, sand, &c. from 
eight to ten inches or more, and from one to three fathoms 
under water ; they were standing in different directions, and 
separate from each other. Both the master of the boat and 
crew assured me, that the animal throws out tentacula from 
the two apertures of the apex of the shell, that resembled the 
small actiniae adhering to the rocks about Padang, and that the 
body of the shell was filled with a soft gelatinous flesh, similar 
to that of the teredo navalis, but this they had washed out, 
from its very soon proving putrid, and extremely offensive ; 
that they were in considerable number, and being gently 
