10 JOURNAL OF MARINE ZOOLOGY AND MICROSCOPY. 



intended to get rid of this loose skin. After a period of activity, 

 especially after a rough and tumble scramble for food, many suckers 

 are seen with shreds of loose skin partly detached. As pneumatic 

 organs the suckers must thus be much impared — hence the necessity 

 for a frequent " rub-down," which is performed in the manner 

 described. 



Strength. The strength and carrying power of the Octopus 

 is — legends put on one side — really wonderful. When we had ours 

 first, we planned out a picturesque arrangement of loose boulders 

 to ornament the tank, but alas for earthly hopes and scenic display, 

 our Octopus had their own ideas of how a tank should be arranged, 

 and — we had three at first — piled the stones in ugly inartistic heaps 

 .in three corners. The route each boulder had taken was plainly 

 graved by a deep rut in the loose sand and shingle that covered 

 the bottom. Some of the blocks of -stone were fully 9-in. in 

 diameter, and our smallest Octopus — 3-ffc. 6-in. spread from tip to tip 

 — could easily move them about like so many play things. Time 

 after time this was done, to the woeful stirring up of all the sediment 

 that in even a short space of time gathers in a tank. Indeed at last 

 we were compelled to take away the sand and shingle, in which our 

 friends had been so fond of blowing out nest-like lairs, and for 

 sanitary reasons to leave them with but a few very large boulders 

 and the thinnest layer of shingle in the bottom. 



The overflow pipe in this tank is moveable and fits at its lower 

 end into the opening of the low-level outlet. Being of lead, the 

 weight of this pipe is considerable — to give the exact figures 9-lbs. 

 12-ozs. We are accustomed to lift it out bodily when desirous 

 of emptying the tank completely. We never dreamed of such 

 being liable to be moved by any force but our own, so our surprise 

 may be judged when upon going down early one morning, we found 

 the Octopus tank dried up ; the overflow pipe wrenched out and 

 lying prone on the bottom. Our concern was great and well founded 

 — all the inhabitants were apparently dead, but the faintest play 

 of colour in some argued a spark of life remaining. As quickly 

 as possible we transferred the three that showed this to water, 

 and soon had the satisfaction of seeing them recover. Two however 

 we laid regretfully out on the floor, deploring their untimely demise 

 — but to our unexpected pleasure one gave out a faint movement 

 just sufficient to arouse hope — so we transferred both to the water 

 with the other three, and were rewarded beyond our utmost hopes in 

 soon seeing them make languid motion. The lapse of 24 hours 

 saw them again in their usual healthy condition, but we had had 

 our lesson. Ever since, we take care to wedge the overflow pipe 

 firmly down before leaving at night. 



