The following account of the _sepia media_, a small species of
cuttle-fish, is given by Mr. Donovan, in his "Excursion through South
Wales:"--"When first caught, the eyes, which are large and prominent,
glistened with the lustre of the pearl, or rather of the emerald, whose
luminous transparency they seemed to emulate. The pupil is a fine black,
and above each eye is a semilunar mark of the richest garnet. The body,
nearly transparent, or of a pellucid green, is glossed with all the
variety of prismatic tints, and thickly dotted with brown. At almost
every effort of respiration, the little creature tossed its arms in
apparent agony, and clung more firmly to the finger; while the
dark-brown spots upon the body alternately faded and revived,
diminishing in size till they were scarcely perceptible, and then
appearing again as large as peas, crowding, and becoming confluent
nearly all over the body. At length, the animal being detained too long
from its native element, became enfeebled, the colours faded, the spots
decreased in size, and all its pristine beauty vanished with the last
gasp of life."