THE KRAKEN. 351 



An attack of this kind is most artistically represented 

 in a small Japanese ivory-carving in the possession of 

 Mr. Bartlett, of the Zoological Gardens.* A Japanese 

 woman has been seized by an octopus whilst bathing for 

 as my friend Mr. Frank Buckland 

 remarked when he examined this 

 work of art, the lady wears a bath- 

 ing-dress. One arm of the octopus 

 is in the act of coiling round the 

 woman's neck, and she is en- 

 deavouring to pull it off with her 

 right hand ; another arm is en- 

 twined around her left wrist ; and 



FIG, 5. JAPANESE WOMAN 



the rest of the eight writhing SEIZED BY AN OCTOPUS 



WHILST BATHING. 



thongs encircle her body and 



waist. With her left hand she is trying to force away from 

 her the mouth of her formidable assailant, which is evidently 

 overpowering her. The arms of the octopus and their 

 sucking disks are admirably carved, but, as in almost all 

 Japanese portraits of the octopus, the animal is incorrectly 

 depicted as having a long snout the funnel, or syphon 

 tube, being misrepresented as the mouth. 



The Japanese are well acquainted with the octopus ; for 

 it is commonly depicted on their ornaments, and forms no 

 unimportant item in their fisheries. 



I have recently had an opportunity of inspecting a most 

 curious Japanese book, in the possession of my friend Mr. 

 W. B. Tegetmeier, which is chiefly devoted to the repre- 



* A wood engraving of this carving was figured in illustration of an 

 interesting paper by Professor Owen, C.B., F.R.S., &c., " On some 

 new and rare Cephalopoda," in the Transactions of the Zoological 

 Society, April 20, 1880. With the cordial consent of the distinguished 

 author I reproduce it here. 



