IfABITS (IF TJIE fEniALOPODA. fio 



two miuiiU'^ after it liad l>i'v'ii captured l)y tluit animal, was 

 already dead, althunali apparently uninjured either externally or 

 internally. 



The debris of the victims of tiie Pouljie. such as sliells. cara- 

 paces of crustaceans, etc., accumulates in front of his retreat, 

 which it serves to cover. The animal seizes portions of these 

 by the suckers towards the base of his arms, and with them 

 shields his liody. oidy ri'vealing the watchful eyes — the arms 

 being tlirown back on eaclt side of his body. 



A Ponlpe may eat several shells and a crab daily, but if his 

 supply fails, he will support an abstinence of some days. 



The epidermis of the cups renews itself unceasingly, and is 

 detached in entirety — above all after a meal. The Avater is filled 

 with little trans])arent l)odies in form like umbrellas, of which 

 the disks are rayed — these are the rejected skins. 



The slow movements of the Poulpe are very strange ; it ele- 

 vates its body and walks along on the recurved points of its 

 arms, and without the assistance of its sii)hon. But in a large 

 basin the Poulpe swims readily and without the awkwardness 

 which I before remarked of its movements in an aquarium. Its 

 rapid swimming is always retrograde ; its body and arms main- 

 tain a horizontal position, the latter remaining absolutely passive ; 

 the siphon alone being used. 



When the Poulpe swims, its color is a little different from that 

 which it possesses when in repose, and I have frequently re- 

 marked a colored longitudinal ray starting from behind the eyes. 



I have been a witness only once to the forward swimming of a 

 Poulpe ; it progressed very slowly, in truth. The arms, divided 

 into two symmetrical bundles, were turned back on the body. 

 This position is very unfavorable to swimming ; the resistance of 

 the water is much greater, and one can readily comprehend that 

 the animal would use it rarely. 



The number of respirations is variable, but much inferior to 

 that of the Sepias : it averages from thirty to fifty in a minute. 

 It is probable that in the sea the Poulpe respires much more 

 slowly. In the aquarium respiration is accelerated by the vitia- 

 tion of the water.* 



* Fischer, Ann. ScL Nat., 5 ser., viii, 97-104, 1867. 



