a mile across. After we reached the weirs, the fishermen began to draw 

 up one net, and what a commotion set in when it had been pulled up a 

 little way ! Fishes were jumping, a sting ray and a horse-foot crab were 

 floundering about, and the net seemed to be fairly alive with soft-shelled 

 crabs. Suddenly Professor Parker called us to look at the net, at the 

 same time pointing his finger into the water. Our eyes followed the 

 direction in which his finger was pointed, and saw several long, cylin- 

 drical objects which were darting here and there in the water. These, 

 he said, were the squids. 



Soon after this, Howard stooped and quickly seized an object which 

 seemed to have become entangled in the net. It was a squid in trouble, and 

 Howard's face was brought so near the animal that our instructor cau- 

 tioned him to be careful, as the squid might shoot at his eyes. Professor 

 Parker had hardly spoken, when the water about the animal became inky 

 black, and a stream of black fluid shot up toward 'Howard's face, com- 

 pelling him to let go of the squid, with a cry of surprise. The animal 

 had emptied the contents of its ink bag in a vain endeavor to escape. 

 We immediately questioned the Professor in regard to this curious habit 

 of the squid, and were told that this was one of nature's ways of pro- 

 tecting it from its enemies ; that the ink bag was quite large, and was 

 placed near the base of the siphon, and that when the squid was aware 

 that an enemy was near, it discharged the inky contents of this bag 

 through the siphon, and while the water was black and muddy from 

 the effect of the ink, it swiftly swam away, and so escaped. We were 

 also told that it is thought by some scientists that this inky discharge 

 is as much for disconcerting the enemy as for rendering the animal 

 invisible, and that the ink bag is a very characteristic organ in this class 

 of animals. 



Howard was a most enthusiastic investigator, and as a result, he was 

 often getting into trouble because of his impetuosity. Once his hand was 

 seized by an angry squid as he tried to grab it, while it lay near the sur- 

 face of the water. One of the fishermen extricated his hand, and the 

 Professor told him that he should be careful not to get near the arms of 

 any of the squid family, because each arm was covered on the inner side 

 with many little suckers which would hold an object tightly while the 

 squid bit out pieces of the flesh with its parrot-like beak. 



The Professor had brought with him a large copper can with a wide 

 mouth, which was half-filled with a sixty per cent solution of alcohol, 

 and which he proceeded to fill with squids and soft-shelled crabs. 



After spending a couple of hours or more in examining the \veirs, 

 in eacli of which we found some fishes, squids, and crabs, we returned 



126 



