cat sneaks upon a bird. Built like an arrow — that 

 is to say, with a straight and longish rounded body 

 with ten sucker-arms in line with the head at one 

 end, and a great arrowhead-shaped fin at the oppo- 

 site end — it swam in either direction of its main 

 axis with equal ease. It moved, so to speak, like 

 a specter: without apparent motion of any of its 

 appendages. 



Finally the monstrous mollusk insinuated itself 

 so near to the school of silver-fishes that I began 

 to wonder at their obvious indifference to their 

 danger. It appeared impossible that they could not 

 now see their phantom foe. But at that very 

 moment some quick- thin king individual, more alert 

 than the others, sensed the situation and darted 

 into the gloom; the remaining fishes, if not actually 

 seeing the cause of this desertion, somehow became 

 aware that something was wrong and all but one 

 fled in fright. This one stayed because flight was 

 no longer possible; the squid was within striking 

 distance; and with a suddenness that I was unable 

 to follow, it shot tail foremost into the departing 

 school, and seizing one in its wicked-looking arms, 

 brought the unlucky victim to the parrot-like beak 

 at the base of these appendages and swam away. 



[193] 



