OCTOBER 



4340 



OCTOPUS 



One of the Football Months 



CTOBER, ok to'ber, the tenth month 

 of the year, and in temperate climates one 

 of the most beautiful of all the months. Its 

 name is from the Latin word for eight, for 

 in early Roman times it was the eighth month, 

 and only with the revision of the calendar by 

 Julius Caesar did it receive its present place. 

 More than once the Senate tried to rechristen 

 it, as July was rechristened after Julius and 

 August after Augustus. Thus for a time it was 

 called Antoninus, then Tacitus and even Faus- 

 tinus, after the wife of an emperor; but none of 

 these names became popular, and the month 

 continued to be miscalled October. From the 

 time of Julius Caesar it has had thirty-one days. 

 Its special gem is the opal or tourmaline; its 

 flower the graceful, decorative hop blossom. 



Character of the Month. In the latitude of 

 Canada and the United States, October is usu- 

 ally a delightful month. In the northern part 

 of the region the first frosts are likely to occur 

 during October, but cold weather does not 

 come to stay, and days of hazy sun, followed by 

 crisp, bracing nights, are the rule. The air has 

 a peculiar tang that seems to belong to this 

 month alone, and the person who is compelled 

 to, or privileged to, spend much time out-of- 

 doors is very fortunate. 



In country or woodland regions the chief 

 beauties of the month consist in its changing 

 foliage. The woods are gorgeous with crimson, 

 russet and gold, and even the somber pine for- 

 ests are lighted here and there by the yellow 

 torches of the birch trees. Goldenrod and wild 

 asters still make the roadsides gay, and the 

 fringed gentian rivals in its unassuming beauty 

 the spring flowers. 



With the falling of the leaves many of the 

 birds are deprived of their shelter, and the kill- 

 ing frost robs the insect-eating birds of their 

 food. October is a busy time, therefore, for the 

 birds, and by the end of the month few of the 

 insect-eaters are left in the northern latitudes. 

 October might be called the sparrows' month, 

 however, so numerous and so busy are they 

 everywhere. For they are seed-eaters, nn<l tin- 



dry fields and meadows furnish them feasts. 

 The farmer should do his best to attract these 

 birds, for the millions of weed seeds they de- 

 vour might, if allowed to fall to the ground and 

 grow, do untold harm to his next year's crops. 



Special Days. October 12 has a very special 

 interest to dwellers in America, for on that day, 

 through the discoveries of Columbus, began a 

 new life and history for the western hemisphere. 

 In many schools Columbus Day is celebrated 

 with appropriate exercises, and in these vol- 

 umes, on page 1504, suitable programs are sug- 

 gested. 



But the day of days for children in this 

 month is Hallowe'en, which falls on the last 

 day of the month. It has no historical signifi- 

 cance, but the wise teacher will know how to 

 connect it with the work of the children so that 

 it shall have a real value. Suggestions for Hal- 

 lowe'en observance will be found on page 2671, 

 in Volume IV. 



OCTOPUS, ok'tohpus, a genus of deep-sea 

 animals, of repulsive and frightful appearance. 

 The soft, pear-shaped body of the animal is 

 joined to the head by a short neck, and en- 

 circling the mouth are eight movable arms, on 

 each of which there are two rows of powerful 

 suckers. The arms are connected at the base 

 by a web. It is these arms that give the crea- 

 ture its name, for octopus is derived from 

 Greek words meaning having eight arms. The 

 octopus cannot swim, but moves along the sea 

 bottom by means of its arms. It lives in coral 

 reefs and among rocks and is most common in 

 the Mediterranean and Asiatic seas, although it 

 reaches its greatest size on the Pacific coast 

 sometimes fourteen feet from tip to tip of ex- 

 tended arms. Generally the length of arm in 

 the largest specimens is from three and one-half 

 to four feet. The food of the octopus consists 

 of crabs and other small shellfish. 



Divers along coral banks are sometimes 

 caught by the arms of these animals, and death 

 is caused by strangulation, drowning or fright. 

 It is possible to loosen the grip of an octopus 

 by seizing it on either side of the mouth and 



