CEPHALOPODS. 453 



to escape. Mr. Beale endeavoured to stop it by putting his foot on 

 one of its tentacles, but it liberated itself several times in spite of all 

 his efforts. He then laid hold of one of the tentacles with his hand, 

 and held it firmly, and the limb appeared as if it would be torn 

 asunder in the struggle. To terminate the contest, he gave it a 

 powerful jerk; it resisted the effort successfully, but the moment 

 after the enraged animal lifted a head with large projecting eyes, and 

 loosing its hold of the rocks, suddenly sprang upon Mr. Beale's arm, 

 which had been previously bared to the shoulder, and clung to it with 

 its suckers, while it endeavoured to get the beak, which he could now 

 see, between the tentacles, in a position to bite him. Mr. Beale 

 describes its cold slimy grasp as . extremely sickening, and he loudly 

 called to the captain, who was also searching for shells, to come to his 

 assistance. They hastened to the boat, and he was released by killing 

 his tormentor with a boat-knife, when the arms were disengaged bit 

 by bit. Mr. Beale states that this Cephalopod must have measured 

 across its expanded arms about four feet, while its body was not bigger 

 than a large hand clenched. It was the species called the rock-squid 

 by whalers. 



These formidable and curious Cephalopods, the MaXa/aa of Aris- 

 totle, Mollia of Pliny, and Cephalophora of De Blainville, have the 

 mantle, according to Cuvier, united beneath the body, thus forming 

 a muscular sac which envelopes the whole viscera. The body is soft 

 and fleshy, varying much in form, being sub -spherical, sub-elliptical, 

 and cylindrical, the sides of the mantle in many species extending 

 into fleshy fins. The head protrudes from the muscular sac, and is 

 distinct from the body ; it is gifted with all the usual senses, the eyes 

 in particular, which are either pedunculate or sessile, being large and 

 well developed. The mouth is anterior and terminal, armed . with a 

 pair of horny or calcareous mandibles, which bear a strong resemblance 

 to the bill of a parrot, acting transversely, one upon the other. Its 

 position is the bottom of a sub-conical cavity, forming the base of 

 numerous fleshy tentacular appendages which surround it, and which 

 are termed arms by some writers. These appendages in the great 

 majority of living species are provided with suckers, acetabula (cupping- 

 glass-like appendages), by means of which the animal moves at the 

 bottom of the sea, head downwards, or attaches itself to its prey. 

 These suckers are armed or unarmed with a long, sharp, horny claw. 



