502 



THE OCTOPUS. 



The species belonging to the family of the Octopodidse, or Eight- 

 armed Cuttles, possess no external shell like that of the nautilus, its 

 place being taken by two short styles or " pens" in the substance of 



The Common Sepia {Sepia officinalis). 



the mantle. There are eight arms, unequal in length, and furnished 

 with double or single rows of the suckers which have already been de- 

 scribed. 



They are solitary beings, voracious to a degree, and so active that 



they find little difficulty in cap- 

 turing their prey or in escaping 

 from the attacks of their ene- 

 mies. Even when pursued into 

 the narrow precincts of a rock- 

 pool, the creature is not easily 

 caught. When threatened, or 

 if apprehensive of danger, the 

 Polypus, as the animal was 

 formerly called, darts with ar- 

 rowy swiftness from one side 

 of the pool to the other. 



The common Octopus is now 

 familiar to all those who have 

 visited the great aquaria at 



TiTc Hom^^xr^ (r\ , , . ^ Brighton and the Crystal Pal- 



liiE Octopus [Octopus vulgaris). ° , ., -^ .. 



ace, where its extraordinary 



movements and great power of the arms are well shown. 



The family of the Teuthidse, popularly known as Calamaries, or 



