CEPHALOPODA. 



305 



tends to a distance of many feet. Under the con- 

 cealment thus obtained, the Cuttle-fish darts away 

 from his foes, like one of Homer's heroes, protected by 

 the interposition of a favouring cloud. This ink, dried 

 and prepared, is the " sepia " employed by artists. 



The eggs of the Sepia are frequently seen on the 

 sea-beach. They bear no small resemblance to a 

 bunch of grapes, being accumulated in clusters, ad- 

 hering to each other by slender foot-stalks ; they are, 

 moreover, very nearly of the size and colour of that 

 fruit (Fig. 241). 



FlG. 241. CUTTLE-FISH AND EGGS. 



About the shores of the Eastern- Mediterranean, 

 the common Sepia officinalis is so abundant that 

 the Cuttle-bones may be seen heaped by the waves 

 into a ridge that fringes the coast for miles. " As in 

 ancient times," says Professor Forbes, "these Mol- 

 lusks still constitute a valuable part of the food of 

 the poor, by whom they are mostly used. One of 

 the most striking spectacles at night, on the coast of 

 the Egean, is to see the numerous torches glancing 

 along the shores, and reflected by the still and clear 

 sea, borne by poor fishermen paddling as silently as 



