LIFE UNDER THE SEA. 671 



Several of these monsters were writhing near the glass wall, 

 stretching out their long, boneless arms, and sometimes fastening 

 their suckers uj)on the glass in the search for food, thus unconsciously- 

 showing off the ugliness of their mouths. It was now time for the 

 keeper to come to them in his round of feeding. He put into the 

 tank from above a number of crabs, when suddenly the whole tank 

 seemed filled with octopi. They had been sleeping among the dark 

 rocks, of which they were so much the color that we had not before 

 observed them. The poor little crabs had probably been stunned, 

 or perhaps killed, by the keeper, for they made no resistance when 

 the octopi fastened upon them their long suckers in a death-grasp. 

 The octopi fought with each other over the possession of the crabs, 

 and for some moments there was a terrible waving to and fro of black 

 suckers fully two yards in length. 



Beside this tank was another of clear water in which were some 

 peaceful cuttlefish. The keeper, for a few coins, stirred these out 

 of their quiet by moving his long stick after them. They swam 

 about in fright for a moment or two, and then we saw them no more, 

 for the clear water had suddenly become a thick black fluid. The 

 cuttlefish had discharged their bags of ink to escape the pursuing 

 enemy. 



The upper floors of the zoological station are seldom shown to 

 visitors, but these are almost more interesting than the tank room 

 below. Here the great scholars who make a life study of these 

 strange inhabitants of the deep have their tables; here the dredgings 

 of the sea are brought by fishermen and divers for them to assort; 

 here sea animals are developed by them from the egg, and even 

 from invisible germs. 



Each investigator into the strange lower world is furnished with 

 his own aquaria, suited to the special branch he may be studying, for 

 nearly all are interested in a special branch of zoology. One man 

 has come a long distance to pursue the study of sponges, and he is 

 furnished with a perfect garden of them, for they are brought up 

 from this part of the Mediterranean in infinite variety. 



Another student is studying the habits of mollusks, and basins 

 and jars of these and their eggs" are near him. There are divers' 

 costumes hanging on the walls in which the savants may themselves 

 descend to the bottom of the sea and study the inhabitants in their 

 native houses. 



There are laboratories and libraries here, adapted to the most 

 exhaustive study, and a fleet of small boats is also kept exclusively 

 for the use of the zoological station. 



Fishermen constantly bring in baskets filled with what seems to 

 be only wet rubbish, heaps of stones, and worthless bits of pulp. 



