THE SQUID AND OCTOPUS — BAETSCH. 367 



whether it grows shallower by their seeiuing to have less water. If this last 

 be the case, they hud that the krakeii is raising himself nearer the surface, 

 and then it is not time for them to stay any longer. They immediately leave 

 off fishing, take to their oars, and get away as fast as they can. When tliey 

 have reached the usual depth of the place and find themselves out of danger, 

 they lie upon their oars, and in a few minutes after they see this enormous 

 monster come up to the surface of tlie water. He there shows himself suffi- 

 ciently, though his whole body does not appear, which, in all likelihood, no 

 human eye ever beheld, excepting the young of this species, which shall after- 

 wards be spoken of. Its back or upper part, which seems to be in appearance 

 about an English mile and a half in circumference — some say more, but I 

 choose tlie least for greater certainty — looks at first like a number of small 

 islands surrounded with something that floats and fluctuates like seaweeds. 

 Here and there a larger rising is observed like sand banks, on which various 

 kinds of small fishes are seen continually leaping about till they roll off into 

 the water from the sides of it. At last several bright ijoints of horns appear, 

 which grow thicker and thicker the higher they rise above the surface of the 

 water, and sometimes they stand up as high and as large as the masts of 

 middle-sized vessels. 



It seems these are the creature's arms, and, it is said, if they were to lay 

 hold of the largest man-of-war they would pull it down to the bottom. After 

 this monster has been on the surface of the water a short time it begins 

 slowly to sink again, and then the danger is as great as before, because the 

 motion of his sinking causes such a swell in the sea and such an eddy or 

 whirlpool that it draws everything down with it, like the current of the river 

 Male, which has been described in its proper place. As this enormous sea 

 animal, in all probability, may be reckoned of the Polype, or of the starfish 

 kind, as shall hereafter be more fully proved, it seems that the parts which 

 are seen rising at its pleasure, and are called arms, are properly the tentacula, 

 or feeling instruments, called horns as well as arms. With these they move 

 themselves and likewise gather in their food. 



Besides these, for this last purpose the great Creator has also given this 

 creature a strong and peculiar scent, which it can emit at certain times, and 

 by means of which it beguiles and draws other fish to come in heaps about 

 it. This animal has another strange property, known by the experience of a 

 great many old fishermen. They observe that for some months the kraken, 

 or krabben, is continually eating and in other months he always voids his 

 excrements. During this evacuation the surface of the water is colored with 

 the excrement and appears quite thick and turbid. This muddiness is said 

 to be so very agreeable to the smell or taste of other fishes, or to both, 

 that they gather together from all parts to it and keep for that purpose 

 directly over the kraken. He then opens his arms, or horns, seizes and 

 swallows his welcome guests, and converts them, after the due time, by diges- 

 tion, into a bait for other fish of the same kind. I relate what is affirmed 

 by many, but I can not give too certain assurances of this particular as I 

 can of the existence of this surprising creature, though I do not find anything 

 in it absolutely contrary to nature. As we can hardly expect an opportunity 

 to examine this enormous sea animal alive, I am the more concerned that 

 nobody embraced that opportunity which, according to the following account, 

 once did and perhaps never more may offer of seeing entire when dead. The 

 Rev, Mr. Friis, consistorial assessor, minister of Bodoen, in Nordlaud, and 

 vicar of the college for promoting Christian knowledge, gave me at the latter 

 end of last year, when he was at Bergen, this relation, which I deliver again 

 on his credit. 



