been supposed by some anatomists that quickly plunges it into the soft mass. In- 

 the shells of the fossil Ammonites were stantly the water is in commotion, the 

 attached to the animal in a similar man- eight long arms writhing about in an en- 

 ner, and if this should be true these small deavor to reach the boat. The Indian 

 mollusks would assume a new meaning knows that should this happen his 

 as being the last survivors of a large chances for life would be slim indeed. But 

 group of animals of which all except he is prepared, and carefully lifting up the 

 Spirula are extinct. octopus with his barbed spear until it is 

 Probably the best known of the shell- above the surface of the water, he plunges 

 less cephalopods is the octopus, with its a long, sharp spear, with which he is pro- 

 rounded body, large eyes and long arms, vided, into each arm where it joins the 

 Almost everybody has read Victor body. At each plunge of the spear, an 

 Hugo's weird account of the octopus in arm becomes helpless and in a short lime 

 his "Toilers of the Sea," and the animal the animal, which but a few moments be- 

 has thus been rendered more or less fa- fore had the power of a score of men, lies 

 iniliar, although it was made to do sev- in the canoe, a shapeless, helpless mass, 

 eral things by the author that it would That the octopus is good eating the 

 not do in nature, as, for example, "drink- writer can attest from experience, for 

 ing" a man alive. The Octopus is found during a visit to Yucatan some years ago 

 abundantly throughout temperate and this mollusk was served as a meat dish 

 tropical seas, generally on the coast and was very palatable, the flesh being 

 among rocks, but frequently on the sandy firm and tender and much resembling 

 bottom in water of moderate depth. Here chicken. The portion which fell to the 

 it may occasionally be seen "walking" writer was the head, with a part of the 

 clumsily along on its eight long arms, its arms attached. 



little round body being balanced above One of the most interesting chaiacter- 

 the arms. Its favorite position, however, istics of theOctopi and allied cephalopods 

 is among the rocks. In such a locality is their facility for changing color when 

 it will squeeze its body into some crevice danger is near. These changes are caused 

 and spread out its arms until they form a by little pigment cells just beneath the 

 sort of web, resembling in this position a skin, which expand and contract. Thus, 

 huge spider waiting for its prey. And it if a person is looking at an octopus in 

 may well be likened to a spider for from captivity and the animal is so placed that 

 this web there is no escape if once a hap- it .cannot escape, the observer will be as- 

 less fish has come in contact with the tonished to see the body, of the animal 

 powerful suckers on the long arms. The suddenly assume a deep pinkish color 

 poor fish is paralyzed when seized by the which in turn is succeeded by a olue and 

 octopus and is drawn towards the mouth, then by a green, and finally a return to 

 where it is torn to pieces by the beak-like pink. The body is covered with these lit- 

 jaws. and swallowed. tie pigment cells, the different colors- 

 Like many of the mollusks of which pink, blue and green being so evenly 

 we have written the octopus is esteemed scattered over the surface than when each 

 as a valuable article of food by several color cell is expanded the whole body as- 

 savage tribes as well as by some civilized sumes that tinge. This is one of the most 

 people. The native of the Pacific coast wonderful characteristics of the Mol- 

 catches the Octopus (Octopus punctatus) lusca. 



by a very ingenious method. Providing Another cephalopod closely related to 



himself with a spear twelve or fourteen the Octopus is the Squid, several species 



feet long which has four or five barbed of which are found on the Atlantic coast 



pieces of hard wood some fourteen inches of the United States. In this genus the 



long attached to the end, he paddles his body is long and cylindrical, ends in two 



canoe to the feeding-ground of the mol- fins, has a prominent head terminating in 



lusk. One is soon found in ten or twelve eight short and two long arms and is sup- 



feet of water and the Indian carefully lets ported by a long, cartilaginous, internal 



down his spear until within a few inches pen, which is made up of a central shaft 



of the center of the animal, when he with expansions on each side like a quill, 



226 



