Читать книгу The Book of Shells. Containing the Classes Mollusca, Conchifera, Cirrhipeda, Annulata, and Crustacea онлайн

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THE PEARLY NAUTILUS,

Showing the Animal, and a Section of its Shell.

“It was on the twenty-fourth of August, 1829, (calm and fine weather, thermometer at noon 79°,) in the evening, when the ship Sophia was lying at anchor, in Marakini Bay, on the south-west side of the island of Erromanga, one of the New Hebrides group, Southern Pacific Ocean, that something was seen floating on the surface of the water, at some distance from the ship; to many it appeared like a small dead tortoise-shell cat, which would have been such an unusual object in this part of the world, that the boat, which was alongside of the ship at the time, was sent for the purpose of ascertaining the nature of the floating object.”

“On approaching near, it was observed to be the shell-fish, commonly known by the name of the ssss1: it was captured and brought on board; but the shell was shattered from having been struck with the boat-hook, in taking it, as the animal was sinking when the boat approached, and, had it not been so damaged, it would have escaped. I extracted the fish in a perfect state, which was firmly attached to each side of the cavity of the shell.” The hood has been stated by Dr. Shaw, as being “of a pale, reddish-purple colour, with deeper sports and variegations,” the colour, however, as it appeared in this recent specimen, was of a dark reddish-brown.