USE OF THE INK-BACf. 95 



movements arc made with the head directed backwards, the eyes 

 of the Cephalopod are always turned towards the point from 

 which it darts away, a circumstance which, in times of danger, 

 and when pursued by an enemy, is obviously of great advantage. 

 The ease with which the Cuttle-fish can let go its hold, and 

 dart off from threatened danger, is very well shown by the fol- 

 lowing incident mentioned by Dr. Eoget in his Bridgewater 

 Treatise, Once, when a boy, he tells us, he went out with an old 

 fisherman of Dawlish to visit the floating nets which he had 

 laid for Pilchards. On looking down into the clear blue water, 

 they could easily see that the number of fish entangled was great, 

 but, much to the discomfiture of the fisherman, almost every 

 other Pilchard was locked in the embrace of a Cuttle-fish, plying 

 his parrot-like mandibles to some purpose. The old man, who 

 seemed to regard these unbidden guests as an incarnation of all 

 evil, carried a capacious landing-net, but so quick was the sight 

 of the Cephalopods, so ready were they in letting go, and so agile 

 in darting backwards or sideways, clear of the net, that, though 

 the greedy creattires held on to the last moment, not more than 

 three or four were secured out of the crowds that had spoiled the 

 'haul. 



But to come back to our friends on the beach : there is another 

 purpose served by the funnel which we noticed, equally curious 

 with that already referred to. If our dissecting friend were to 

 proceed with his work, and lay open the entire body of the 

 Cuttle-fish, he would come upon a small flask-shaped bag, filled 

 with an inky fluid, and connected by a duct with the funnel afore- 

 said. The use of this ink is very singular. Expert as the 

 Cuttle-fish is in jerking about, and in making off from threatened 

 danger, there are times when he needs have all his wits about 

 him, and exert every means at command to make good his escape. 

 Let us see how he manages. Some hungry Dog-fish, we will 

 suppose, is in hot pursuit. The poor Cephalopod shoots and 

 darts along, but his powerful and ravenous pursuer is rapidly ap- 

 proaching, and in a moment more the monster will be upon him. 

 But just at the nick of time the ink-bag is suddenly compressed, 

 when out through the funnel spirts a jet of the contained fluid, 

 which, mingling with the water in a murky cloud, baffles the 

 pursuer, and gives the Cuttle-fish time to make for the bottom, 

 where he conceals himself, and lies qxiiet till the danger is over. 



