64 



WHAT MR. DARWIN SAW. 



CAPE DE VERD ISLANDS. 



THE CUTTLE-FISH. 



THE CUTTLE-FISH. 



I WAS much interested, on several occasions, at the Cape 

 de Verd Islands, by watching the habits of an Octopus, or 



cuttle - fish. Although 

 common in the pools of 

 water left by the retir- 

 ing tide, these animals 

 were not easily- caught. 

 By means of their long 

 arms and suckers they 

 could drag their bodies 

 into very narrow crev- 

 ices; and, when 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 discoloring the wa- 

 ter with a dark chestnut - brown ink. These animals also 

 escape detection by a very extraordinary, chameleon like 

 power of changing their color. They appear to vary their 

 tints according to the nature of the ground over which they 

 pass : when in deep water their general shade was brown- 

 ish purple, but when placed on the land, or in shallow water, 

 this dark tint changed into one of a yellowish green. 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, 



