Ten-Armed Game 



eight feet in length, with enormous black staring eyes 

 and long tentacles. So powerful was this gelatinous 

 monster that when the tentacles were clasped to the 

 glass of the tank I found it impossible with an oar to 

 pry them off ; and it was evident that even these small 

 individuals could easily drown a man in the open 

 sea should they throw their arms about him. The 

 appearance of these confined creatures beggared 

 description. They at once blackened the water in 

 the tank, through which their uncanny eyes gazed at 

 the spectators. They fastened themselves by their 

 suckers to the glass, and pumped water and jets of 

 ink with inconceivable rapidity, keeping the water 

 boiling, and ever and anon throwing the arrow-shaped 

 tail out of the water. But the most extraordinary 

 feature of this entertainment was the appearance of 

 the body of the squids. Its normal color was a dark 

 reddish brown, yet in the strong light it seemed to 

 be the setting of a mimic thunder storm, so far as 

 lightning was concerned, as its entire surface was ever 

 flashing from pure white to all shades of red or 

 brown with more or less rapidity. To test the 

 strength of this animal, I grasped one by its short 

 tentacles and endeavored to wrench it from its posi- 

 tion, upon which it coiled snakelike about my arms 

 and resisted every effort, but made no attempt to bite. 

 In attempting to spear smaller specimens of the 

 squid on the Florida reef, on one occasion I stationed 

 my boatman in the bow, who leaned over with his 



53 



