the Cuttle-fish, a genus belonging to the order of vermes molusca. There are eight bra- chia interposed on the interior side, with little round ferrated cups, by the contraction of which the animal lays fast hold of any thing. Besides these eight arms, it has two tentacula longer than the arms, and frequently pedunculated. The mouth is situated in the centre of the arms, and is horny and hooked, like the bill of a hawk. The eyes are below the tentacula, towards the body of the animal. The body is flecky, and received into a sheath as far as the breast. Their food are tunnies, sprats, lobsters, and other shell-fish. With their arms and trunks they fasten themselves, to resist the motion of the waves. Their beak is like that of a parrot. The females are distinguished by two paps. They copulate as the polypi do, by a mutual embrace, and lay their eggs upon sea-weed and plants, in parcels like bunches of grapes. Immediately after they are laid they are white, and the males pass over and impregnate them with a black liquor, after which they grow larger. On opening the egg, the embryo-cuttle is found alive. The males are very constant, accompany their females everywhere, face every danger in their defence, and rescue them intrepidly at the hazard of their own lives. The timorous females fly as soon as they see the males wounded. The noise of a cuttle-fish, on being dragged out of the water, resembles the grunting of a hog. When the male is pursued by the sea-wolf or other ravenous fish, he thwarts the danger by stratagem. He squirts his black liquor, sometimes to the quantity of a dram, by which the water becomes black as ink, under shelter of which he baffles the pursuit of his enemy. This ink or black liquor has been denominated by Mr le Cat *ethiops animal*, and is reserved in a particular gland. In its liquid state it resembles that of the chorioid in man; and would then communicate an indestructible dye; when dry, it might be taken for the product of the black liquor in negroes dried, and made a precipitate by spirit of wine. This *ethiops animal* in negroes as well as in the cuttle-fish, is more abundant after death than even during life. It may serve either for writing or printing; in the former of which ways the Romans used it. It is said to be an ingredient in the composition of Indian ink mixed with rice. There are five species.

1. The loligo, or great cuttle, with short arms and long tentacula; the lower part of the body rhomboid and pinnated, the upper thick and cylindric. They inhabit all our seas, when having blackened the water by the effusion of their ink, they abscond, and with their tail leap out of the water. They are gregarious and swift in their motions: they take their prey by means of their arms; and embracing it, bring it to their central mouth. They adhere to the rocks, when they wish to be quiet, by means of the concave discs that are placed along their arms.

2. The octopodia, with eight arms, connected at their bottom by a membrane. This is the polypus of Pliny, which he distinguishes from the loligo and sepia by the want of the tail and tentacula. They inhabit our seas, but are most at home in the Mediterranean. In hot climates these are found of an enormous size. The Indians affirm, that some have been seen two fathoms broad over their centre, and each arm nine fathoms long. When the Indians navigate their little boats, they go in dread of them; and lest these animals should fling their arms over and sink them, they never fail without an ax to cut them off. When used for food they are served up red from their own liquor, which from boiling with the addition of nitre becomes red. Barthol. says, upon cutting one of them open, so great a light broke forth, that at night, upon taking away the candle, the whole house seemed to be in a blaze.

3. The media, or middle cuttle, with a long, slender, cylindric body; tail finned, pointed, and carinated on each side; two long tentacula; the body almost transparent, green, but convertible into a dirty brown; confirming the remark of Pliny*, that they change their colour through fear, adapting it, chameleon-like, to that of the place they are in. The eyes are large and emeraldine.

4. The sepia, or small cuttle, with a short body, rounded at the bottom, has a round fin on each side and two tentacula. They are taken off Flinthice, but chiefly inhabit the Mediterranean.

5. The officinalis, or officinal cuttle, with an ovated body, has fins along the whole of the sides, almost meeting at the bottom; and two long tentacula. The body contains the bone, the cuttle-bone of the shops, which was formerly used as an absorbent. The bones are frequently flung on all our shores; the animal very rarely. The conger eels bite off their arms, or feet; but they grow again, as does the lizard's tail (Plin. ix. 29). They are preyed upon by the plaice. This fish emits (in common with the other species), when frightened or pursued, the black liquor which the ancients supposed darkened the circumambient wave, and concealed it from the enemy.

The endanger'd cuttle thus evades his fears, And native hoards of fluid safety bears. A pitchy ink peculiar glands supply, Whose shades the sharpest beam of light defy. Pursu'd, he bids the sable fountains flow, And, wrapt in clouds, eludes th' impending foe. The fish retreats unseen, while self-born night, With pious shade befriends her parent's flight.

The ancients sometimes made use of it instead of ink. Persius mentions the species in his description of the noble student.

*Jam liber, et bicolor pustitis membrana capillis, Inque manus chartae, nodaque venit arundo.* *Tum querimur, crafus calamo quod pendet humor; Nigra quod insufusa veneat sepia lympha.*

At length, his book he spreads, his pen he takes; His papers here in learned order lays, And there his parchment's smoother side displays. But oh! what crosses wait on studious men! The cuttle's juice hangs clotted at our pen. *In all my life such fluff I never knew; So gunny thick—Dilute it, it will do.* *Nay, now 'tis water!* DRYDEN.

This animal was esteemed a delicacy by the ancients, and is eaten even at present by the Italians. Rondeletius gives us two receipts for the dressing, which may be continued to this day. Athenæus also leaves us the method of making an antique cuttle-fish sauce; and we learn from Aristotle, that those animals are in highest season when pregnant.

SEPARIÆ, (from *separ*, "a hedge"), the name of the 44th order of Linnæus's Fragments of a Natural Method, Method, consisting of a beautiful collection of woody plants, some of which, from their size and elegance, are very proper furniture for hedges. See Botany, p. 467.