Ill 



This was not confirmed on experiment, but a small piece of 

 iiver given to a guinea pig caused death in a few minutes. 

 Undesirable cats are often got rid of by offering +.hem this 

 fish, which they take readily. 



It is to be noted that not only do the fish instinctively avoid 

 the Blaasop as it swims about, but even the taste of the flesh 

 seems to give sufficient warning of its dangerous character. 

 All the animals in the tank did not however behave in the 

 same way in this respect. Thus when a dead Blaasop was 

 thrown into the Octopus tank, this animal took it at once, 

 enveloping it quickly in its arms, but shortly afterwards 

 rejected it. On another occasion, however, a hve Blaasop 

 was seized by an Octopus and retained. The fish became 

 much distended till it was almost spherical, but still the 

 Octopus did not relax its hold. It was kept under observation 

 from about four in the afternoon till late at night, but the fish 

 was still retained, and next day the Blaasop or what remained 

 of it, was found on the bottom of the tank. The Octopus had 

 apparently eaten all the fish except the skin, but, on further 

 search in the tank, the whole of the liver was found floating 

 on the surface of the water. The Octopus seemed none the 

 worse for its meal, and readily took crabs offered to it im- 

 mediately afterwards. The liver was offered to some very 

 small and presumably inexperienced Harders (2 to 3 inches 

 long) ; they eagerly crowded round it, then hurriedly went off ; 

 only one out of the thirty ventured to nibble at it, but it 

 also immediately left, and subsequently none approached it. 

 Perhaps in this case the smell was sufficient warning. 



The liver was then given to a large sea anemone, and this 

 animal not only took it as readily as any other food, but very 

 soon enveloped the whole of the relati\'ely large mass in its 

 interior, closing its mouth over it particularly firmly. The 

 liver was retained all day, but on the following morning a white 

 mass was found on the surface of the water, and this, on 

 examination, proved to be the liver enveloped in a white 

 emulsion as if the process of digestion had commenced. The 

 anemone apparently suffered no ill effects from the experiment. 



A number of Dog-fish {Scy Ilium africanmn, Gm.) are usually 

 kept in the tank. They thrive very well and many have been 

 kept alive for several years. During the daytime they lie 

 about quietly with their eyes closed, waking up at night, when 

 they swim about freely with open eyes. If a piece of fish or 

 an injured fish be put into the tank they, however, arouse 

 themselves, and go hunting about, guided by smell alone. On 

 one occasion an injured Blaasop, put into the tank, was caught 

 by one of the Dogfish in this wav. Whether this would have 



[C.P. 6-'i4.] 



