SPERM WHALERS FOOD. 
67 
arms, which it threw about with great precision, in a 
rotatory or screwing-like motion, so that it appeared to 
move itself through the water with the same kind of 
action that an eight-pronged corkscrew would maintain 
in passing through any penetrable substance. This 
curious animal, however, quickly disappeared; and it 
was not until I had explained its appearance to the 
captain, that I knew it to be a squid. 
On another occasion, and while upon the Bonin 
Islands, searching for shells on the rocks, which had 
just been left by the receding sea- tide, I was much 
astonished at seeing at my feet a most extraordinary 
looking animal, crawling towards the surf, which had 
only just left it. I had never seen one like it under 
such circumstances before ; it therefore appeared the 
more remarkable. It was creeping on its eight legs, 
which, from their soft and flexible nature, bent con- 
siderably under the weight of its body, so that it was 
lifted by the efforts of its tentacula only, a small dis- 
tance from the rocks. It appeared much alarmed at 
seeing me, and made every effort to escape, while I was 
not much in the humour to endeavour to capture so 
ugly a customer, whose appearance excited a feeling 
of disgust, not unmixed with fear, I however endea- 
voured to prevent its career, by pressing on one of its 
legs with my foot, but although I made use of consi- 
derable force for that purpose, its strength was so great 
that it several times quickly liberated its member, in 
spite of all the efforts I could employ in this way on 
wet slippery rocks. I now laid hold of one of the 
