69 



THE OCTOPUS. 



(Octopux rnliinri.'<?) 



It is only occasionally 

 that specimens of this 

 cnrious creatnre are on view 

 in the Aqnarium, as it is 

 only caught about the rocky 

 fishing grounds aboiTt the 

 Heads, and is <lifiicult to ti 

 without injury. The liody 

 i'orni of a round hag, half of it is 

 hollow and performs regular respi- 

 ratory contractions. At one end is 

 a toad-like head, provided with two 

 large eyes, and with eight arms 

 united at their base by a web ; each 

 arm liears two rows of suckers. 

 Hidden in the uuddle of the arms 

 is the mouth, furnished with a pair 

 of jaws resembling the beak of a 

 parrot, with which it can tear open 

 the shell of a lobster. In fact, the 

 specimens brought in by the fisher- 

 men are generally taken in the lob- 

 ster pots. The arms are used for 

 crawling about and for capturing 



its food, their uuder surface is covered with multitudinous suckers, and any per;^ 

 felt the clasp of one of the tentacles can vouch for their wonderful strength. 



The fidlowing cutting from the Argus gives au evidence of this in Sydney 



ADVENTURE WITH AN Ot:'rOFUS. 



A Inilii and yeiillfiiHiii allac/<eil. 



Sydney, Friday. 



An octopus 5 feet long crawled on to a ferry-boat that was running in the harbor to-night. It caught hold of a lady 

 and gentleman, and it was ten minutes before it could be got off. It went into the water again. 



on who h; 

 Harbor :— 



IS once 



Whilst the Af/u shortly afterwards published the following: — 



ADVENTURE WITH AN OCTOl'US. 



C.\ M PERI lo w N, Wednesday. 



The report of good fishing at Peterliorougli lias attracted a number of anglers during the past week, and fairly 

 satisfactory hauls have been obtaineil. On Saturday Mr. W. H. Wiggins, of Camperdown, had a sensational experience 

 with an octopus. Mr. Wiggins was standing in the water intent upon the sport, when his companions, Messrs. .John and 

 James Maconachie, who were some distance away, observed a large octopus swimming rapidly towards him. They gave 

 the alarm, and Mr. Wiggins made a rush for the shore, and after a great effort succeeded in escaping the tentacles of the 

 monster, which upon being captured was found to measure 8 feet across. 



To the same family belotig the (.'uttle-fish (Se/jia offirlnalis), the white bone of which is 

 so often found on the sea-shore, atid the squid (Lolnjo tidf/ans), which can geuerally be observed 

 swimming around all the piers at the watering places. These two latter are decapods, and are so 

 delicate in structure that but few si»eeimens have been successfully huided at the Aquarium. 



Various specimens of shell-fish can always be seen in the various taidvs, and the visitor will 

 find a most complete collection of shells in four large cases iu the Museum, which are all labelled 

 true to name and will well repay insjjectiou. 



The l)est known of all molluscs is the oyster (Ostrea ec/ulis), which is an article of daily 

 consumption. Great Britain is said to consume 2,000 millions anmtally, and on the Continent 



