356 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



For Forest arid Stream 

 INGLE-NOOK. 



1VT"0W all the woodland paths are strewn 

 -L> With autumn's tawny leaves; 

 The Frost elf hangs his glittering gems 



Upon the cottage eaves. 

 The dancing brook has lost its glee, 



And clinks in fetters down, 

 Each mountain monarch of the north 



Puts on its crystal crown. 



But circling round our gladsome hearth, 



With merry chat and song, 

 Still may we tread the forest glade, 



And errant days prolong. 

 Once more the dainty line we cast, 



Or track the startled deer, 

 As summer scenes go flitting past, 



And wildwood sounds we hear. 



What reck we of the pinching cold, 



The fetters round us flung? 

 Let hermits in their caves grow old, 



Good cheer shall keep us young. 

 As memory doth her treasures bring 



Hope pictures coming days, 

 When lured by balmy breath of spring 



We seek the woodland ways. 



Thus will we count our trophies o'er, 



And plan the new campaign, 

 Till from the snow-drifts at the door, 



The crocus peeps again. 

 Then pile the faggots high, my boys. 



And mid the ruddy light, 

 We'll link our past and future joys. 



In golden bonds to night. 



T. W. A. 



TO PROFESSOR AGASSIZ. 



BY SAMUEL D. KOBBINS. 



Great prophet of eternal nature, thou 

 To whose pure heart iter inmost secrets bow, 

 'Tis thine to read, with innocence sublime 

 In archives deep the autograph of time. 

 The rock of ages to thy vision clear, 

 Reveals the annals of the growing sphere, 

 Scriptures in cipher, by the icebergs old, 

 Onmonnt and plain and boulders manifold. 

 Glad to the reverent research. Ocean gave 

 Its choicest treasures from its lowest cave; 

 On shell and fossil thou hast learned to find 

 The earliest signets of creative mind. 

 A grateful world lifts up one prayer for thee! 

 Long as time lasts, dear shall thy memory be. 

 Who lowly bows before the humblest clod, 

 Becomes himself a Temple filled with God. 

 Boston Transcript. 



Natural l§iniar%. 



— ♦ — 



THE GREAT OCTOPUS. 



St. John's, Newfoundland, December 24, 1873. 

 Editor Forest and Stream: — 



Two fishermen were out in a punt, on October 2Gth, 

 1873, off Portugal Cove, Conception Bay. Observing 

 some object floating on the water at some distance, 

 they rowed towards it, supposing it to be a large sail, or 

 the debris of a wreck. On reaching it one of the men 

 struck it with his "gaff," when immediately it showed 

 signs of life, and reared a parrot-like beak, which they de- 

 clare was "as large as a six gallon keg," with which it 

 struck the bottom of the boat violently. It then shot out 

 from about its head two huge, livid arms, and began to 

 twine them around the boat. One of the men seized a 

 small axe and severed both arms as they lay over the gun- 

 wale of the boat, wdiereupon the fish moved off, and elected 

 an immense quantity of inky fluid, which darkened the water 

 for two or three hundred yards. The men saw it for some 

 short time afterwards, and observed its tail in the ; ir, which 

 they declare was ten feet across. They estimate the body 

 of the fish to be sixty feet in length, five feet in diameter, 

 of the same shape and color, as the common squid, and 

 they observed that it moved in the same way as the squid, 

 backwards ami forwards. They had ample opportunity of 

 observing its shape and dimensions before they were 

 alarmed by its movements, so that their statements are 

 quite reliable, especially when corroborated by the arms, 

 which they brought ashore. One of these arms was, un- 

 fortunately, destroyed, but the clergyman of the village 

 assured me that it was ten inches in diameter and six feet 

 in length. The other arm was brought to St. John's, but 

 not before six feet of it were destroyed. Fortunately, I 

 heard of its arrival, and had it preserved. Mr. Murray, 

 our Geological Surveyor, and I examined it carefully, had 

 it photographed and immersed in alcohol, and it is now in 

 our museum. It measured nineteen feet, is of a pale pink 

 color, and entirely cartilaginous, tough and pliant as 

 leather, and very strong. It is but three inches and a half 

 in circumference, except towards the extremity, where it 

 broadens like an oar to six inches in circumference, and 

 then tapers to a pretty fine point. The under surface of 

 the extremity is covered with suckers to the very point. 

 First there is a cluster of small suckers, with fine sharp 

 teeth round their edges, and with a membrane stretched 

 ac 'oss each. Of these there are about seventy. Then come 

 two rows of very large suckers, the movable disk of each 

 an inch and a quarter in diameter, the cartilaginous ring 

 not being denticulated. These are twenty-four in number. 

 After these there is another group of suckers with denticu- 

 lated edges, similar to the first, about fifty in number. 

 Along the under surface about fifty more small suckers are 

 distinguished at intervals, making in all about 180 suckers. 

 The men estimate that they left at least ten feet of the arm 

 attached to the body of the fish, so that its original length 

 must have been chirty-five feet. 



I am assured by a clergyman here that during the winter 

 of 1870 two cuttles were cast ashore at Lamaline, the bodies 

 of which measured respectively forty and forty-seven feet. 

 More than once we have had accounts of gigantic cuttles 

 being seen in some of our bays, but not till now was any 

 portion of them secured. 



THE OCTOPUS. 



Since the foregoing occurrence took place a perfect 

 specimen has been captured by some fishermen in Logie 

 Bay, a few miles north of St. Johns, and I have been for- 

 tunate enough to obtain possession of it. After carefully 

 measuring it. I had it photographed and then immersed in 

 the strongest brine. Its dimensions are small compared 

 with those of the giant seen in Conception Bay, but still it 

 possesses great interest for naturalists. The body of this 

 cuttle is eight feet in length and five feet in circumference. 

 The tail is two feet in breadth at the widest part, and has a 

 fin like expansion. The fish, on examination, proved to be 

 a decapod, having ten arms, radiating from the central 

 part, or head, in the centre of which is a strong, horny 

 beak, shaped like that of a parrot, and about the size of a 

 man's fist. The eyes are behind the central nucleus, and 

 are each four inches in diameter, very prominent and dark, 

 with a white circle around. Two of the arms are much 

 longer than the others, being each twenty-four feet in 

 length, not more than two inches and a half in circumfer- 

 ence, and arranged at the extremities with sucking disks, 

 arranged in the same way as in the amputated arm I have 

 already described. All of these suckers have sharp dentic- 

 ulated edges, and twenty-four of them are large, and ar- 

 ranged in two rows, each being an inch in diameter. The 

 others vary and decrease in size towards the extremity, 

 where they are not larger than a split pea. In all there are 

 about 150 suckers on each of the long arms. The eight 

 shorter arms are each ten inches in circumference at the 

 point of junction with the head, and taper to a fine point. 

 Their under surface is completely covered with large suck 

 ers, arranged in a double row, and each arm carries about 

 one hundred. The total number of suckers is thus about 

 1,100. The eight shorter arms are each six feet in length. 

 Connected with the body is a funnel, through which the 

 water is ejected after the extraction of its oxygen by the 

 breathing organs. This funnel runs the entire length of 

 the body. It serves another purpose— when the water is 

 forcibly ejected by the reaction of the surrounding me- 

 dium the fish moves backwards with great swiftness, while 

 the forward motion is accomplished by the movements of 

 its tail. There is a second funnel, through which the inky 

 fluid which it secretes is ejected when the creature wishes 

 to escape from its pursuers. 



It is believed here, by those familiar with these cuttle- 

 fish, that my specimen is a young one — perhaps two or 

 three years old— and which, if not captured, would prob- 

 ably have grown to the length of forty or fifty feet in the 

 body, as their growth is wonderfully rapid. At all events, 

 the existence of cuttle-fish in the waters around this island 

 is beyond all question. I am informed by an intelligent 

 person here, whose veracity I could not question, that he 

 measured the body of a cuttle fish cast ashore in a storm 

 in Green Bay, about two years ago, and found it eighty feet. 

 The Eev. A. E. Gabriel, of Portugal Cove, assured me that 

 in the winter of 1870, when he lived at Lamaline, on the 

 southern coast, two cuttles were cast ashore whose bodies 

 measured forty and f<5rty-seven feet respecttvely. Many 

 persons have informed me of having seen them from twelve 

 to twenty feet in length of body, and arms between thirty 

 and forty feet. Our fishermen universally believe in them, 

 and call them "big squids." They have a saying that "the 

 squid is the biggest fish in the sea." A fisherman here— a 

 simple-minded, honest fellow— told me that his small coaster 

 was once anchored in one of the northern harbors, when 

 suddenly, though making no water, she began to sink. 

 Those on board took to their boats in alarm, but after go- 

 ing down till the water was nearly on a level with the deck 

 she suddenly rose again, and took no harm Soon after 



they observed a "big squid" disporting in the water, and 

 concluded that it had grappled their craft with its arms 

 and dragged it down as far as it was able, and then sud- 

 denly relaxed its hold from some cause. 



Our fishermen say that these cuttles anchor themselves 

 to a rock or to the bottom by their long arms, and thus ob- 

 tain a "purchase" when grasping anything with the shorter 

 arms. A few years ago a gigantic cuttle was taken on the 

 Labrador side of Belle Isle Straits, whose body measured 

 fifteen feet, and the longest arms thirty-seven feet each. 

 This is thoroughly authenticated by Dr. Honeyman, of 

 Halifax. 



Among the last things Professor Agassiz did was to write 

 to Mr. Murray, of our Geological Survey, in regard to the 

 great cuttle whose arm was amputated in Conception Bay. 

 He wished to see the arm in order to determine to what 

 species its owner belonged. I was just about to send him 

 my specimen when news arrived by telegraph of his death. 



I may mention that the eminent naturalist, Professor 

 Steenstrup, records the appearance of similar gigantic cut- 

 tles on the coast of Denmark, and describes two species 

 under the name of Architewthis and A. dux. 



The photographs which I enclose were taken by Messrs. 

 McKenny & Parsons, of this place. One is a photograph 

 of the head resting on a stand, the arms hanging down, 

 their extremities in a large round bath^ the beak in the 

 centre. The two longer arms are coiled on each side of the 

 shorter ones, at the extremity of the supporting rail, and 

 all the arms show the sucking disks. The body is photo- 

 graphed separately, as the head was cut off by the fisher- 

 men when killing it. M. Harvey. 



[The photograph of the body we have not reproduced, as 

 it presented no striking feature.] — Ed. 



-+»»» 



SNAKES SHEDDING THEIR SKINS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: — 



I once had the chance to see a snake shed his skin. I 

 think it was in the month of June. I was standing in the 

 field when I observed a striped snake going through some 

 strange contortions, turning first on his back and then on 

 his side, and all this time his head was kept in between 

 two small sprouts about half an inch apart. I thought at 

 first he was insane, or performing for the circus, but in a 

 few moments all was made plain; he was getting the old 

 skin started from around his mouth. At last it gave -way, 

 and began to roll over his back, and he soon pulled himself 

 out of it, and left the skin turned completely wrong side 

 out. He then went on his way, acting as though he felt 

 very Iiappy. 



Question: Do all snakes shed their skins? and if so, do 

 they shed them more than once in a year? and will snakes 

 freeze and then thaw out and live, as worms, ants, bugs, 

 etc. , do? I have found that striped snakes will drown under 

 water in a short time. Now, how is the water adder con- 

 stituted that he can remain under water? Will some of 

 your correspondents please explain ? I found on examina- 

 tion that the snakes shed a covering to their eyes, and I 

 am inclined to the belief that they can see but little, if 

 any, for some days prior to shedding their skins, and lie 

 around inactive. J. L. Hersey. 



Editor Forest and Stream : — 



Mr. Hersey's letter is quite interesting, and I hope it will 

 induce others to send to Forest and Stream their obser- 

 vations on the subject. His queries, too, are very suggest- 

 ive, though they forcibly remind the reader that it is easier 

 to ask questions than to answer them. 



Do all snakes shed their skins, and if so do they shed them 

 more than once in a year? 



All snakes do shed their skins, the first moult occurring 

 soon after the young snake is born. The moults are re- 

 peated at intervals of a month or two during the warm 

 season, but in winter none occur. In captivity the shed- 

 ding of the skin is not so frequent, and is very laborious 

 and painful, sometimes resulting in death. 



The shed skin is usually turned completely inside out, as 

 in the case mentioned by Mr. Hersey. Whether this is 

 always so is a question on which we need more light. Mr. 

 James Simson, an enthusiastic correspondent of Land and 

 Water, insists that they are frequently left "as the snake 

 wore them." Frank Buckland is equally positive that this 

 never occurs. I have in my possession the skin of a moun- 

 tain black snake {Coluber Alleghaniensis) nearly seven feet 

 long, which is inverted as neatly as a glove finger could be, 

 and without a tear in it ; also, an inverted skin of the com- 

 mon black snake, (Bascanion constrictor). I have a skin 

 shed in November by a rattlesnake (Candisona horrida), 

 afterwards a pet of mine, which remains in its natural po- 

 sition. I did not see the operation of moulting, and it is 

 barely possible that the skin may have been turned while 

 fresh and soft, but I do not believe that it was ever com- 

 pletely inverted. I should state that the snake was not in 

 captivity when he shed this skin, but was taken just after 

 the act of moulting. 



"Will snakes freeze, and then thaw outV 



Spallanzani kept snakes, frogs, and salamanders in a 

 state of torpor in an ice house for three years and a half, 

 and then easily restored them to activity. In our climate 

 snakes retire at the approach of cold weather into their 

 winter retreats in old burrows, hollow trees, or stone heaps, 

 and there they remain, hibernating, until they are revivi- 

 fied by the w T arm rays of the spring sun. It would seem 

 as if they would often be exposed to a freezing tempera- 

 ture. I have found the common toad, in the early spring 

 thaws, hibernating in the soil a foot or two below the sur- 

 face, where it must have been surrounded throughout the 



