150 The Under-Water World 



which they capture in a very ingenious 

 manner. Two of the tentacles or arms 

 are from three to twenty times the length 

 of the others and they are kept tucked 

 away in a pair of special pockets, one 

 on either side of the creature's head. 

 When a fish is " sighted " these arms are 

 run out at lightning speed. The club- 

 shaped tips, covered with suckers, attach 

 themselves to the quarry and the fish is 

 drawn towards the mouth, which is situ- 

 ated in the centre of the ten arms. This 

 mouth is the counterpart of the snail's 

 ribbon-like tongue and is in the form of 

 a parrot's beak, consisting of two horny 

 interlocking structures with razor-like 

 edges. All the cuttles provided with 

 large side fins can progress forwards by 

 gentle winnowing motions of these organs, 

 and one species at least can leap clear 

 of the water, and thus sometimes comes 

 to grief by landing on board ship. When 

 in haste, cuttle-fish and octopods rely 



