Nautilus
Date
1856
Creator
John Denis Macdonald (1826 - 1908) , Naval medical officer
Object type
Archive reference number
Material
Dimensions
height (painting): 306mm
width (painting): 189mm
width (painting): 189mm
Subject
Content object
Description
Marine zoological study, probably of Nautilus pompilius, the chambered nautilus, or possibly Nautilus macromphalus. The cephalopod is shown removed from its shell and with an incision made near the eye, to expose what the author interprets as its auditory sac.
The specimen was described by the author aboard HMS Herald in April 1856 as the vessel was engaged on a survey of the Fiji islands, part of Melanesia, in the South Pacific. The author, John Denis Macdonald was assistant surgeon on the ship.
Illustration from the manuscript version of the paper “Further observations of the anatomy and physiology of Nautilus’ by John Denis Macdonald, in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, vol.8 (1856-1857), pp.380-382.
Signed lower left: ‘J.D.Macdonald Delt. April 1856.’
Sir John Denis Macdonald was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1859.
The specimen was described by the author aboard HMS Herald in April 1856 as the vessel was engaged on a survey of the Fiji islands, part of Melanesia, in the South Pacific. The author, John Denis Macdonald was assistant surgeon on the ship.
Illustration from the manuscript version of the paper “Further observations of the anatomy and physiology of Nautilus’ by John Denis Macdonald, in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, vol.8 (1856-1857), pp.380-382.
Signed lower left: ‘J.D.Macdonald Delt. April 1856.’
Sir John Denis Macdonald was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1859.
Associated place