18 OCTOPODID^. 



knew that this fellow's sucking propensities were not his worst 

 ones, for these cuttle-fishes are furnished with sharp jaws, and 

 they know how to use them too, so I attempted to get rid of him. 

 But the rascal, disengaging one slimy arm, wound it about my 

 left hand also, and I was a helpless prisoner. In vain I struggled 

 to free myself — he only clasped me the tighter. In vain I shouted 

 to my companion — he had wandered out of hearing. I was 

 momentarily expecting to be bitten, when the " bicho " suddenly 

 changed his mind. I was never able to discover whetiier he was 

 smitten with remorse and retired with amiable intentions, or 

 whether he only yielded to the force of circumstances. At any 

 rate he suddenly relinquished his hold upon my hands and dropped 

 to the sand. Then raising himself on his long, limsy arms, he 

 stalked away towards the water, making such a comical figure, 

 that, in spite of my fright, I indulged in a hearty laugh. He 

 looked like a huge and a very tipsj^ spider, staggering away on 

 his exceedingly long legs. 



" Cuttle-fishes are sometimes used for food by the Brazilians, 

 and different species may be seen in the markets, where one 

 frequently finds them still alive. Sometimes, as he stoops to 

 examine one, its body is suddenly suffused with a deep pinkish 

 glow., Before he has time to recover from his surprise, this 

 color fades, and a beautiful blue takes its place as rapidly as a 

 blush sometimes suffuses a delicate cheek. The blue, perhaps, 

 is succeeded hy a green, and then the whole body becomes pink 

 again. One can hardly conceive anything more beautiful than 

 this rapid play of colors, which is produced by the successive 

 distention of sets of little sacks containing fluids of different 

 colors, which are situated under the skin." — American Nat- 

 uralist, iii, 256, 18^0. 



" The British Vice-Consul, Green, in a recent report, furnishes 

 some novel and interesting particulars as to the fishing and trade 

 in cephalopods in the Tunis waters. Octopodia and polypi are 

 the trade names under which these cephalopods are known in 

 the Levant and Greek markets, where they are solely imported 

 for consumption during Lent, the orthodox Church not including 

 them in the prohibition against the use of flesh in seasons of 

 religious abstinence. 



" They prefer rocky shallows, and visit these waters, coming 

 from the open sea in the months of January, February and 

 March. A considerable number of octopodia, however, remain 

 permanently near the shores ; but it has been observed that when 

 their fry, locally called ' muschi,' are numerous from the month 

 of June to August, the fishing of the coming season is sure to 

 be abundant, whilst the reverse is the case if they appear in 

 numbers in November and December. In a oood season, the 



