Octopus beak, Argonauta nodosa syn. A. tuberculata, nautilus Identifier: birdsnature9101unse (
find matches)Title:
Birds and natureYear:
1900 (
1900s)Authors: Subjects:
Birds Natural historyPublisher:
Chicago, Ill. : A.W. Mumford, PublisherContributing Library:
University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignDigitizing Sponsor:
University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignView Book Page:
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view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.Text Appearing Before Image:the FijiIslands, New Hebrides and New Caledo-nia are able to obtain it in large quanti-ties for food and it is highly esteemed bythem. During the voyage of H. M. S.Challenger around the world, a livingNautilus was captured by dredging insome three hundred and twenty fathomsnear Mateeka Island, one of the Fijigroup. This was placed in a tub and itswam about in a lively manner by eject-ing water from its funnel. The tentacles*of which there are a larger number thanin the other cephalopods, were spread outradially, like those of the sea anemone.The Nautilus livc9 among the coral reefs,at depths varying from three to threehundred fathoms or more. The Fijians method of capturing theNautilus for food is thus described (Try-on,—Structural and Systematic Conchol-ogy): When the water is smooth so thatthe bottom,at several fathomsdepth,nearthe border of the reef, may be distinctlyseen, the fisherman in his little, frailcanoe scrutinizes the sands and the coral 222 LIBRARYUNIVERSITY Of nuNOtfText Appearing After Image:from col. ch,. acad. sciences PEARLY NAUTILUS. A ^mTwo ^Zm 414 (Nautilus umbilicatus). BEAK OF OCTOPUS. PAPER NAUTILUS. (Axgonauta tuberculatat. masses below, to discover the animal inits favorite haunts. The experienced eyeof the native may probably encounter itin its usual position, clinging to someprominent ledge, with the shell turneddownwards. The tackle consists first, ofa large, round, wicker-work basket,shaped very much like a cage rat-trap,having an opening above, with a circlet ofpoints directed inward, so as to permit ofentry but to preclude escape ; secondly, arough piece of rope of sufficient length toreach the bottom; and lastly, a smallpiece of branched wood, with thebranches sharpened to form a sort ofgrapnel, to which a perforated stone is at-tached, answering the purpose of a sink-er. The basket is now weighted withstones, well baited with boiled cray-fish(the principal food of the Nautilus iscrabs of different species), and thendropped gently down near the victim.ThNote About Images Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original work.