THE INHABITANT OF THE NAUTILUS POMPILIUS.
(Seepage 399, vol. i.)
It was on the 24th of August, 1829, (calm and fine weather, thermometer at noon 79°,) in the evening, when the ship Sophia was lying at anchor inMarakini 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 tortoiseshell cat, which would have been such an unusual object to be seen in this part of the world, that the boat which was alongside 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 ofthe Pearly Nautilus; (Nautilus pompilius;) it was captured and brought on board, but the shell was shattered from having been struck with the boat-hook in capturing it, as the animal was sinking, when the boat approached, and had it not been so damaged would have escaped.
I extracted the fish in a perfect state, which was firmly attached to each side of the upper cavity of the shell. On being brought on board, I observed it retract the tentacula still closer than before, and this was the only sensation of vitality it gave after being caught; I preserved the soft parts immediately in spirits, after making a rude pen and ink sketch of its form.
On breaking the lower part of the shell, the chambers, or cavities, were found filled with water.
Thehoodhas been stated by Dr. Shaw (Lectures, vol. ii. p. 165) “as being of a pale reddish purple colour, with deeper spots and variegations;” the colour, however, as it appeared in this recent specimen, was of a dark reddish brown, in fact, resembling the colour produced by theKokaon the stained cloth of the Tongatabu natives, intermingled with white.
We had fine weather—light winds and calms, a day or two previous to this animal being caught.
The representations of the animal in Dr. Shaw’s works are not at all correct; that byRumphiusis correct, as far as regards the description of the external parts of the animal.
This species of Nautilus is stated to be calledKika, lapia, andKrang modang, by the natives of Amboyna; andBia papeda,Bia cojin, by the Malays.
This animal has, for a number of years, been adesideratumof science; but some doubt existed whether it might not have been captured with the shell; and the collectors, not valuing the animal, or being unaware of the value attached to it by naturalists, may have extracted and thrown it away.
The two following accounts confirm this supposition; I place dependence upon the statements, because at the time both persons were ignorant of the form of the fish, and were also unaware of its value: they knew it more from the beautiful colours of its shell, than from any other part connected with it.
An officer of his Majesty’s ship Ariadne informed me that he caught the shell with the animal within it, on a reef at theisland of Pemba, nearZanzibar, on theeastern coast of Africa, at the time himself and several others, belonging to the ship, were seeking for shells.(This occurred in the year 1824.) The animal was not floating upon the water, but was in a hole on the reef; he does not recollect which part of the shell was uppermost. The mantle of the fish, like a thin membrane, covered the shell, which was drawn in as soon as it was touched, and the elegant shell was then displayed. “I and others,” observed my informant, “when it was first seen, did not notice it, regarding the animal, as the membrane enveloped the shell, merely as a piece of blubber; but having touched it by accident, the membranous covering was drawn in, and we soon secured our beautiful prize.”
“The fish,” he further observed, “was a large mass attached to the shell, which we soon extracted and threw away, as we only wanted tocollect shells.”
The mantle was compared to what he had subsequently seen covering the shells of theHarpsandCowries.
These animals were not numerous, for this was the only one collected during the time they remained there, or on subsequent visits.
A section of the shell was afterwards made on board, but none of the appearances, or whether air or water was contained within, could be recollected.
A mate of a whaler, who had been shipwrecked upon, and resided among the Fidgi group of islands in the Southern Pacific, for nearly three years, says he has seen the shell of thePearly Nautilus, containing the living animal, floating on the water, near one of the islands. He had only seen two, as they are not commonly seenwith the fish in them, although the empty shells were very numerous among that group of islands.
He stated, the first time he saw one, was when in a canoe with some other shipwrecked Europeans; it was then floating upon the surface of the water, the mouth of the shell uppermost. It was enveloped in the mantle, which extended some distance upwards, and over the whole of the shell; it had such an appearance as to cause one of the men in the canoe to say, “There is a large piece of blubber upon the water:” on approaching it the animal retracting the mantle, displayed the beautiful striped shell, and sank before they could capture it.
At Manilla, the shells of this species of Nautilus are in great abundance; they are neatly carved, the whole of the coloured part of the shell being removed, and the portion exposed appearing of a beautiful nacre, or mother-of-pearl,with the raised white carved figures upon it, which have a pretty effect. I could not procure any with the soft parts, but was told by a gentleman that he had seen them with the fish, but it was always taken out and thrown away, and the shell alone preserved.
One of the shells cut, and the aperture turned downwards, forms the base; the keel of the shell, with the aperture uppermost, is placed upon it, forming a pretty vase of antique form, and highly esteemed in Europe as ornaments for the mantel-piece; they are sold at Manilla for a few reals the pair.
The inhabitant of this beautiful shell, which I brought safely to England, has been described and dissected by my esteemed friend, R. Owen, Esq., and published, with splendid engravings, by the Curators of the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons in London.