THE KRAKEN. 333 



that when he wrote, science was only slowly recovering 

 from neglect of many centuries' duration. In the en- 

 lightened times of Greece and Rome, natural history 

 flourished, and as in our day, attracted and occupied the 

 attention of the man of science, and afforded recreation to 

 the man of business and the politician. Aristotle wrote 

 322 years before the birth of Christ, and his works are 

 monuments of practical wisdom. When we consider the 

 period during which he lived, and the isolated nature of his 

 labours, and compare them with the information which he 

 possessed, we are astonished at his sagacity and the great 

 scope and general accuracy of his knowledge. Pliny, 240 

 years later, lived in times more favourable for the cultiva- 

 tion of science ; but, with all his advantages, made little 

 improvement on the work of the great master. And then, 

 later still, the sun of learning set ; and there came over 

 Europe the long night of the dark ages which succeeded 

 Roman greatness, during which science was degraded and 

 ignorance prevailed ; and it is not till the middle of the 

 sixteenth century that the zoologist finds much to interest 

 and instruct him. When we further reflect, that until 

 within the past five and twenty years till our large 

 aquaria were constructed Aristotle's knowledge of the 

 habits and life-history of marine animals, and amongst them 

 the cephalopods, was incomparably greater and more perfect 

 than that possessed by any man who had lived since he 

 recorded his observations, we cannot help feeling that in 

 some departments of knowledge there is still lost ground 

 to be recovered. 



In the old days of the Caesars, a Greek or Roman house- 

 wife who was accustomed to see the cuttle, the squid, and 

 the octopus daily exposed for sale in the markets, would, 

 of course, have laughed at the idea of mistaking the one for 



