IN DEFENSE OF OCTOPUSES 299 



even in the interior of the animal! In these last forms the body 

 tissues are quite transparent, so the light is not necessarily con- 

 cealed. These light organs are quite varied, some being but 

 mounds of glowing fluid, others complex and carefully con- 

 structed lenses with mirrors of reflecting tissue. As yet very 

 little is known of these abyssal octopi and squid, though a few 

 captured specimens have been observed burning with a strong 

 light for several hours. Some day when the means of exploring 

 the vast deeps of the ocean comfortably and safely has been 

 devised we will learn more of these unbelievable cephalo- 

 pods. 



Quite unseen, my octopus would wait until a crab ventured 

 near. Then it would either swoop quickly over the victim 

 smothering it in its diminutive tentacles or suddenly dart out 

 an arm and seize its meal before it had time to flee. It seldom 

 missed but when it did it usually retrieved its dinner by a 

 quick pursuit before it had gone far. Before twenty-four hours 

 were up the entire bottom of the pool was littered with the 

 hollow carapaces of crabs. Peculiarly, the animal almost always 

 devoured its victim bottom side up, biting through the softer 

 lower shell with its small parrot-like beak and rasping out the 

 contents with its filed tongue before casting the empty shell 

 away. The legs and feet were seldom eaten and were usually 

 torn off and discarded. Little of this feeding was done during 

 the day. At high noon I even saw a crab crawl over the relaxed 

 tentacles without being molested or becoming aware of the 

 danger it was courting. In the evening, however, particularly 

 just before sunset the octopus seized everything within reach. 



The capture of fish was not nearly so easy, and although I 

 saw it make a number of attempts its only successful capture 

 was a small goby that very injudiciously decided to rest a few 

 inches below the octopus' chosen corner. As in the case of 

 several of the crabs it was blanketed by a mass of writhing 

 tentacles. Once the fish was grasped by the vacuum cups of 



