THE KRAKEN. 331 



for he warns his readers that "we ought not to charge 

 that apostate spirit without a cause ; for," he adds, " I 

 rather think that this devil who so suddenly makes and 

 unmakes these floating islands, is nothing else but the 

 Kraken." 



Referring to a monster described by Pliny, he repeats 

 his belief that " This sea-animal belongs to the Polype, or 

 Star-fish species ; " but he becomes very undecided and 

 indefinite between the Cephalopoda and the Asterida, 

 between the pedal segments, or arms, of the cuttle radiating 

 from its head, and the rays of a Star-fish radiating from a 

 central portion of the body. He evidently inclines strongly 

 towards a particular Star-fish, the rays of which continually 

 divide and subdivide themselves, or, as he describes it, 

 "which shoots its rays into branches like those of trees," 

 and to which he gave the name of " Medusa's Head," a title 

 by which, in its Greek form, Gorgonocephalus, it is still 

 known to zoologists. " These Medusa's Heads," he says, 

 " are supposed by some seafaring people here, to be the 

 young of the Sea-Krake ; perhaps they are its smallest 

 ovula." After considering other reports concerning the 

 Kraken, he arrives at the following definite opinion : 



" We learn from all this that the Polype or Star-fish have amongst 

 their various species some that are much larger than others ; and, 

 according to all appearance, amongst the very largest inhabitants of 

 the ocean. If the axiom be true that greatness or littleness makes no 

 change in the species, then this Krake must be of the Polypus kind, 

 notwithstanding its enormous size." 



His diagnosis is correct ; but it is stated with a modesty 

 which his detractors would do well to imitate ; and his 

 concluding words on this subject place him in a light 

 very different from that in which he is popularly regarded. 



