ocTOprs. . 113 



withstanding the order of length of the arms being reversed, 

 and they will both probably prove to be the young of some 



other species. 



Arms 3, 2, 4, 1. 



b. Body smooth, bearded. 

 O. OCTOPODIA, Linn, (vulgaris. Lam.). PI. 23, figs. 3, 4 ; pi. 24, 



figs. 5. 6, 7. 



Body small, oval, warty, cirrose ; dorsal beards placed in a 

 rhomb; head warty; ocular beards three. Arms very large, 

 elongate, very unequal in length ; web large ; cups far apart. 

 Rarely the arms are in order 2, 3, 4, 1. 



Total length, 640 mill.; length of head, 45 mill.; of body, 90 

 mill.; of arms, I. 370 mill.; 2, 460 mill.; 3, 500 mill.; 4,440 

 mill YERANY. 



African, European and American coasts of the Atlantic Ocean, 

 Mediterranean and Red Sea, Indian and Pacific Oceans. 



Aristotle says of its astuteness : " To capture fish, the Polyp 

 changes its color and takes that of the surrounding rocks." 

 Clearque, in the second volume of his Proverbs, says : " My 

 son, have the spirit of the Polyp, in order to sympathize with 

 those with whom thou findest thyself." Athenseus cites these 

 lines of Eupolis : " A man who conducts public affairs, must, 

 in his conduct, imitate the Polyp." 



The frequent loss of arms or of portions of them, endured by 

 the Poulpe, caused the ancients to believe that when pressed by 

 hunger, these animals devour their own members. 



" He is a fool who has not more common sense than a Polyp." 



The ancient and modern Greeks, as well as the Provencals, 

 beat the flesh of the Poulpe, to render it more tender. I have 

 seen large cross-sections of arms of Octopus exposed for sale 

 on the quay of Santa Lucia, at Naples, along with many other 

 kinds of shell-fish ; and also in the markets of Venice. The 

 flesh was white and firm, and resembled in appearance steaks of 

 halibut. Fine examples of the species were living in the aqua- 

 rium at Naples, during the summer of 1877 ; they seemed per- 

 fectly at home in its large tanks, where they could be studied to 

 great advantage. I there confirmed many of the facts observed 

 by Dr. Fischer at the Arcachon aquarium, and which I have 

 elsewhere quoted (ante, p. 62). 



