248 THE WORLD OF THE SEA. 
and the addition of a little water brought it to the same condition 
in which it had been secreted long ages ago. 
The cuttle-fish fixes its large, open eyes with a most peculiar 
and disagreeable stare. The iris is golden, and the pupil is rect- 
angular; and at night their eyes light up like those of a cat. 
The cephalopods are oviparous. They deposit their eggs, 
stuck together like bunches of grapes. The semblance is so 
EGGS OF THE CEPHALOPODS. 
(Sea-grapes. 
evident that the fishermen call them sea-grapes. When newly 
laid, the eggs are enveloped in a glutinous matter, which not only 
protects them, but which surrounds any solid body against which 
they are deposited, thus binding them fast to the stem of a fucus 
or the branch of a gorgonia. The mother in this respect differs 
from many of the inhabitants of the sea; she does take some 
trouble in rearing her offspring. She selects a fit place, attaches 
the eggs to a proper support, and leaves them to the temperature 
of the water to hatch, which is generally accomplished in a month. 
