HABTTS OF THE CEPHALOPODA. <>9 



centre of the disk, where the beaked mouth seizes, and soon 

 sucks it in. 



I am perfectly sure, from frequent observations, the octopus 

 1ms the power of numbing its prey ; and the sucking-disks along 

 each ray are more for the purposes of climbing and holding On 

 whilst fishing, than for capturing and detaining slippery pris- 

 oners. 



The Indian looks upon the octopus as an alderman does on 

 turtle, and devours it with equal gusto and relish, only ilie 

 savage roasts the glutinous carcase instead of boiling it. His 

 mode of catching octopi is crafiy in :he extreme, lor redskin well 

 knows, from past experience, thin were the octopus once io get 

 some of its huge anus over the 1 side of the canoe, and at the same 

 time a holdfast on the wrack. P. could as easily haul it over as a 

 child could upset a basket . Paddling the canoe close to the 

 rocks, and quietly pushing aside ;he wrack, the savage peers 

 through the crystal- water, until his practised eye detects an 

 octopus, with its great rope-like arms stiffened out. waiting 

 patiently for food. His spear is twelve feei long, armed al the 

 end with four pieces of hard wood, made harder by being baked 

 and charred in the lire: these project about fourteen inches 

 beyond the spear-haft, each piece having a barb on one side, and 

 arc- arranged in a circle round the spear-end, and lashed firmly 

 on with cedar-hark. Having spied on 1 the ociopus. the hunter 

 passes the spear ca refully t hrough the water until within an inch 

 or so of the centre disk, and then sends it in as deep as he can 

 plunge it. Writhing wiih pain and passion, the Ociopus coils 

 its terrible arms round the hafl ; redskin, making the side of his 

 canoe a fulcrum for his spear, keeps the struggling monster well 

 oil', and raises it to the surface of the water. lie is dangerous 

 now; if he could get a holdfast on either savage or canoe, no! hing 

 short of chopping off the anus piecemeal would be of any avail. 



I>ut the wily redskin knows all this, and has taken care to have 

 another spear unbarbed. long, straight, smooth, and very sharp, 

 and with this he stabs the octopus where the arms join the central 

 disk. I suppose the spear must break down the nervous gan- 

 glions supplying motive power, as {he slabbed arms lose at once 

 strength and tenacity; the suckers, that a moment before held 

 on. with a force ten men could not have overcome, relax, and the 



