302 I N A G U A 



sawing through it. By the side of the black columnar head of 

 the whale appeared the head of a great squid, as awful an ob- 

 ject as one could well imagine, even in a fevered dream. Judg- 

 ing as carefully as possible, I estimated it to be at least as large 

 as one of our pipes, which contained three hundred and fifty 

 gallons; but it may have been, and probably was, a good deal 

 larger. The eyes were very remarkable for their size and black- 

 ness, which, contrasted with the livid whiteness of the head, 

 made their appearance all the more striking. They were at 

 least a foot in diameter, and seen under such conditions looked 

 decidedly eerie and hobgoblin-like. All around the combatants 

 were numerous sharks, like jackals around a lion, ready to share 

 the feast, and apparently assisting in the destruction of the 

 large Cephalopod." 



Unfortunately Bullen does not tell the result of the combat 

 but one might assume that the whale was the victor, for the 

 food of sperm whales consists almost exclusively of squid. 



If the squid and octopi are accused of being fearsome and 

 savage, it might be argued that they live in an underwater 

 world in which savagery and primitive instincts are the most 

 common passions, and the only way to exist is to conform to 

 the mode. There is no doubt that an enraged large cephalopod 

 could be a formidable antagonist. The authentic instances of 

 octopi or squid attacking human beings or divers, however, 

 are so rare as to be considered non-existent in spite of a large 

 literature to the contrary. Most of their savagery is confined 

 to securing their food, which is a normal and reasonable func- 

 tion. 



The tentacles serve still another and more wonderful pur- 

 pose, for it is by means of their arms that these unorthodox 

 creatures are able to perpetuate their race. The arms that serve 

 in this function are known as hectocotylized arms and this 

 name was derived from an honest and understandable mistake 



