42 INTRODUCTION TO CONCHOLOGY. 



seems to peep forth from out a membranaceous bag, has a 

 strong pair of horny mandibles resembling the beak of a 

 parrot, and on each appears a large conspicuous eye, endowed 

 with great quickness of vision. The tribe are consequently 

 well fitted for a predacious mode of life, and are formidable 

 enemies to their watery neighbours. Those only who have 

 witnessed the persevering activity, power, and velocity of 

 motion exercised by the Octopus, or Cuttle-fi.sh, when en- 

 gaged in his destructive practices among a shoal of fishes, 

 can form an adequate idea of his quickness of vision and 

 locomotive powers. Swift as thought his hard-beaked man- 

 dibles become buried in the ill-fated victim, which he holds 

 fast by his numerous tentacles ; and then, in one moment 

 unloosing liis thousand suckers, and disengaging himself 

 from his prey, he darts like an arrow from the net of the 

 fisherman, which has been cautiously moved towards him, in 

 the hope of making him a prisoner. 



Octojoi of enormous size are occasionally met with among 

 the islands of the Meia-co-shimah group. Sir Edward 

 Belcher measured one of these ungainly creatures, which two 

 men were carrying on their shoulders across a pole. He 

 found that each arm was rather more than two feet long, 

 and that the mollusk could, in consequence, explore an area 



