98 A TOUGH ENCOUNTER. 



as arms, although they are eqiially entitled to their technical de- 

 signation of feet, as they serve the animals for crawling along the 

 sea-bottom. All the Cephalopods of the genus Octopus, the 

 Poulpe and its cousins, are especially adapted for this kind of 

 progression, and habitually resort to the sea-shore, where, 

 crawling along in an inverted position, they have a very odd 

 and repulsive appearance. They move along, however, with 

 considerable ease, and progress, it has been ascertained, at the 

 rate of about seven feet in a minute. Should they wish to 

 accelerate their pace, it is said that they inflate the body 

 until it resembles a distended bladder, and, then leaving go their 

 hold, and casting themselves forward, they roll over and over 

 with great velocity, and often effect an escape which would 

 otherwise have been impossible. Let the curious reader, how- 

 ever, beware. It is not always prudent to push matters to an 

 extreme, in trying to induce a display of this odd procedure ; for, 

 as the following adventure abundantly proves, your Cephalopod 

 is apt, at times, to turn crusty, and pursue a totally different 

 course of action. 



Mr. Beale, in his " Natural History and Fishery of the Sperm 

 Whale," tells us that on one occasion, while searching for shells 

 upon the rocks of the Benin Islands, he came across one of these 

 animals crawling towards the surf which it had only just left. It 

 was creeping on its eight legs, which bent considerably under 

 the weight of its body, and lifted it only a small distance from 

 the rocks. The animal appeared much alarmed, and tried hard 

 to escape. Mr. Beale, however, endeavoured to stop it, and 

 pressed with his foot on one of its legs ; but the strength of the 

 animal was so great that it several times liberated itself, in spite 

 of all the efforts he could employ on the wet and slippery rocks. 

 Mr. Beale then laid hold of one of its tentacles, and held it so 

 firmly, that it appeared as if the limb would be torn asunder 

 between them, He then gave the animal a violent jerk, wishing 

 to disengage it from the rocks to which it clung so forcibly by 

 its suckers. The Cephalopod, however, kept its hold ; but the 

 tug was too much for its temper ; for, the moment after, the appa- 

 rently enraged animal lifted its head, and, letting go the rocks, 

 suddenly sprang upon its assailant's bare arm, and clung to it, 

 with great power, endeavouring to get its beak in a position to 

 bite. Mr. Beale declares that a sensation of horror pervaded his 



