1832.] HABITS OF A CUTTLE-FISH. 1 



pools of water left by the retiring tide, these animals were not 

 easily caught. By means of their long arms and suckers, they 

 could drag their bodies into very narrow crevices ; and wher 

 thus fixed, it required great force to remove them. At other 

 times they darted tail first, with the rapidity of an arrow, from 

 one side of the pool to the other, at the same instant discolouring 

 the water with a dark chestnut-brown ink. These animals also 

 escape detection by a very extraordinary, chameleon-like power 

 of changing their colour. They appear to vary their tints accord- 

 ing to the nature of the ground over whicli they pass: when in 

 deep water, their general shade was brownish purple, but when 

 placed on the land, or in shallow water, this dark tint changed 

 into one of a yellowish green. The colour, examined more care- 

 fully, was a French grey, with numerous minute spots of bright 

 yellow: the former of these varied in intensity; the latter entirely 

 disappeared and appeared again by turns. These changes were 

 effected in such a manner, that clouds, varying in tint between a 

 hyacinth red and a chestnut brown,* were continually passing 

 over the body. Any part, being subjected to a slight shock of 

 galvanism, became almost black : a similar effect, but in a less 

 degree, was produced by scratching the skin with a needle. These 

 clouds, or blushes as they may be called, are said to be produced 

 by the alternate expansion and contraction of minute vesicles 

 containing variously coloured fluids.f 



This cuttle-fish displayed its chameleon-like power both during 

 the act of swimming and whilst remaining stationary at the bot- 

 tom. I was much amused by the various arts to escape detection 

 used by one individual, which seemed fully aware that I was 

 watching it. Remaining for a time motionless, it would then 

 stealthily advance an inch or two, like a cat after a mouse ; some- 

 times changing its colour : it thus proceeded, till having gained a 

 deeper part, it darted away, leaving a dusky train of ink to hide 

 the hole into which it had crawled. 



While looking for marine animals, with my head about two 

 feet above the rocky shore, I was more than once saluted by a 

 jet of water, accompanied by a slight grating noise. At first I 

 could not think what it was, but afterwards I found out that it was 



* So named according to Patrick Symes's nomenclature, 

 f See Encyelop. of Anat. and Physiol., article Cephalopoda. 



