They
are of horny substance, and resemble the bill of a parrot. They are in
the centre of the under part of the body, surrounded by the arms. By
means of these parts, the shell-fish which are taken for food, are
completely triturated.
[7] Cuvier.
[8] Nat. Hist. Molluscous Animals, Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. iii.
p. 527.
[9] Manual Comp. Anat. p. 263.
We now come to the most peculiar parts of the structure of the
Cuttle-fish, viz. the _ear and eye_, inasmuch as it is the only animal
of its class, in which any thing has hitherto been discovered, at
all like an organ of hearing, or that has been shown to possess true
eyes.[10] The ears consist of two oval cavities, in the cartilaginous
ring, to which the large arms of the animal are affixed. In each of
these is a small bag, containing a bony substance, and receiving the
termination of the nerves, like those of the vestibulum (or cavity
in the bone of the ear) in fishes. The nature of the eyes cannot be
disputed. "They resemble, on the whole, those of red-blooded animals,
particularly fishes; they are at least incomparably more like them
than the eyes of any known insects; yet they are distinguished by
several extraordinary peculiarities.
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