74 GIGANTIC CEPHALOPODS. 



of normal proportions. The Triton, like most of the active pre- 

 daceous mollusks, possesses an operculum scarcely adapted by 

 its size to close the aperture of its shell. It is possible that by 

 continued contraction, the animal might expel the water from its 

 body, sufficiently to retire within the whorls until the operculum 

 would touch its walls, but normally, it does nothing of the kind ; 

 and it would certainly require an appreciable period of time to 

 accomplish it. Had the Poulpe possessed as much patience and 

 endurance as cunning, it would have suffered the imprisonment 

 of its member for a short period, until the relaxation of the 

 operculum of the gasteropod, the strain of which only endures 

 under opposition. As the Poulpe in the stone dodge related 

 above shows no higher intelligence than monkeys, who are said 

 to catch their shell-fish in the same manner, it is a pity that 

 Madame Power did not describe some of the " stratagems em- 

 ployed by the Poulpe for the capture of his prey," which, to use 

 her words, "would appear incredible." 



Gigantic Gephalopods : historical and fabulous. 



I. Mediterranean Species.* Aristotle speaks of a cephalopod 

 about 6^ feet long, belonging to the division of the Calamaries. 

 It is the same species which is mentioned in the fables of Pliny, 

 in (Elian, in Strabo, in Aldrovandi, etc. 



Pliny obtained the history of this creature from Trebius Niger, 

 one of the lieutenants of L. Lucullus in Spain. He relates that, 

 every night, the Calamary came to the shore to carry off the 

 fishes placed in the brine by the fishermen. The animal was of 

 monstrous size ; it dispersed the dogs by its redoubtable breath ; 

 sometimes it struck them with the ends of its feet ; sometimes it 

 used against them its two long arms, which were so strong that 

 their blows resembled those of a club; at last it was killed lv 

 means of several tridents. Its head was shown to Lucullus ; it 

 was the size of a tun, having the capacity of 15 amphorae. Its 

 arms and feet were also shown to him ; their size was such that 

 a man could scarcely embrace them ; they were knotty like clubs 



* I am indebted for a portion of the material of this chapter to a curious 

 and valuable paper by Messrs. Crosse and Fischer, published in Journal 

 de Conchyliologie, ii, 124, 1862. 



