190 
lowed fish sticking in their bill, and made a noise something like the sneezing of a 
man. The Loligos leaped up higher than any of the fishes, and with a tolerably 
well determined direction towards the water, so that several of them were lucky 
enough to escape. 
The Heledones always cast themselves with facility upon their ventral side; 
they then spread out equally their eight arms, four upon the right and four upon 
the left, thus distending their broad connecting membrane : the anterior ones 
stretched their points far forward, clinging even to the sand with certainty ; the 
points of the following pairs alternated, in regular succession, upwards and down¬ 
wards, the suckers fixing themselves on each descent, and drawing the body after 
them. The average speed in fresh specimens was about seven feet a minute ; the 
motion was constant, without interruption, like that of snails. When they ap¬ 
proached nearer to the water, and got upon the flattened and moist sand, there was 
a very perceptible increase of speed; and as soon as they came to the descent of 
the shore they raised their heads, the forehead arched itself between the glittering 
eyes, an active motion was observable in the previously tranquil sack-shaped body ; 
the incisions of the mantle, by a repeated rapid opening and shutting, drew air into 
the bag until the body resembled an expanded bladder, and, raising this suddenly, 
and casting it forward, the creature rolled the last three feet of its journey to 
the water with a speed which it was impossible to intercept, in case the flowing of 
the waves accidentally came to its assistance. 
The motions of the Sepias were totally different. We have already noticed 
their sneezing noise ; this ceased when they were left dry, but was resumed upon 
the influx of water. Their arms, which, with the exception of their two raptorial 
arms, are but short, were incapable of removing them from the spot, and even the 
head maintained its fixed position towards the bag. Upon their increasing exhaus¬ 
tion, they ejected a quantity of a thick, scentless, inky liquid, after which they died. 
This, between the fingers, felt more fat than clammy, but perfectly dissolved, both 
in salt and fresh water, without presenting an appearance of fat upon the surface. 
Soap would not remove the stains upon linen, when once dried. The juice of the 
Heledones was quite as black but not so thick, and much less in proportion ; be¬ 
sides which, it differed by having a decidedly musky smell. Unfortunately, during 
his inspection of the preceding, the Loligos had all died ; they were from about 
eight to ten inches long, and varying from three to four pounds in weight. They 
did not, like the Sepias , eject their fluid upon dying, but upon dissection cellular 
bags were found filled with it near the liver; it was much less in quantity, less 
deeply coloured, but of a similar consistency to that in the Sepias. 
There are some interesting observations, by the same author, upon Syngnathus 
hippocampus , which, with other notices, we must reserve for our next number, as 
our space, at present, is exhausted. 
