286 LIFE BY THE SEASHORE. 



whose contents produce a dark cloud in the water. The 

 cuttles are powerful animals and active swimmers; except 

 at the breeding season they are rare between tide-marks. 

 In the early months of the year a large form, Ommastrephes 

 todarus, is common on the beach after storms on the East 

 Coast, but this is due to the fact that at this time the 

 animals come shorewards to lay their eggs. The spawn, 

 both of this form and of Loligo vulgaris, is not uncommon. 

 The former consists of somewhat pear-shaped masses, each 

 containing many eggs embedded in jelly and fastened in 

 dense clusters to weed. In the latter case the eggs are 

 arranged in long tubes, which are similarly attached in 

 clusters to weed. The animals are, further, at times repre- 

 sented by their "pens," which are internal structures 

 corresponding to the "bone" of the squid (Sepia), and 

 probably to the last remnant of the shell which the early 

 cuttles possessed. The pens of Loligo and Ommastrephes 

 are horny structures, not unlike a quill pen, and reaching 

 a length of a foot or more. 



In a living cuttle the beautiful changing tints should be 

 noticed, the arms and suckers, the jets of water which are 

 ejected from the funnel, and in natural conditions drive the 

 animal backwards, the fins fringing the body, and the large 

 eyes. A dead specimen will show the strong parrot beaks 

 within the mouth, the gills within the mantle-chamber, 

 and the ink-bag. The special characters of Ommastrephes 

 todarus are as follows : The fins are placed at the posterior 

 end of the body; the two long arms are nearly as long as 

 the body ; the eight short arms have two rows of suckers ; 

 the cornea, or transparent skin over the eye, has a central 

 hole, so that the sea-water gains access to the anterior 

 chamber of the eye. The animals reach a length of over 

 a foot. Between tide-marks in the South a pretty little 

 octopus, or form with eight arms, is at times to be found. 

 This is Eledone cirrosus, a very charming little creature. 

 On the shores of the English Channel the common octopus 

 (Octopus vulgaris) is at times abundant in the vicinity of 

 the shore. 



