112 A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE SEAS 



causes brought about by the animal's uncanny appearance 

 and clammy touch. 



Vast numbers are captured in most seas for use as human 

 food, the flesh being firm and not unlike lobster. 



In life the Octopus is a creature of infinite resource and 

 tireless energy. It subsists almost wholly upon crabs 

 and lobsters, which it captures with much guile. Unlike 

 the Squid, it does not bite its prey with its beak, but 

 disarticulates the body, extracting the flesh by the use of 

 the whip-lash tips of its tentacles. The Common Octopus 

 has been accredited with deliberately using a dead fish 

 to attract crabs within reach, and if offered oysters beyond 

 its opening powers will refuse these if again offered them. 



It can swim backwards like a Squid or stride spider-like 

 over the sea-bed, and at all times changes colour to harmonise 

 with its surroundings. It is subject to seasonal migrations, 

 and the Common species often heads south in autumn, 

 wintering in sub-tropic waters. The female lays her eggs 

 in bunches attached to a rock base, blowing water over 

 them with her syphon until the young emerge. The 

 Octopus is much more spare of its ink than the Cuttlefish 

 and seldom employs its beak for defensive purposes. 



The Musk Octopus (Moscbites cirrosd) is distinguished 

 by having one row of suckers only on each tentacle and 

 enjoys a more northern range than the common species. 



The Argonaut of the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean is 

 well known by its beautiful fluted, thin and delicate shell, 

 but the animal is much less familiar. The shell is made 

 only by the female as a receptacle for her eggs and is 

 secreted by a large wing-like expansion of two tentacles, 



