I 
IN FEATHERS AND FUR. 279 
He don't hunt his food ; he lies quiet in the water, with his 
body perhaps under a stone — for he can squeeze himself flat as a 
pancake — and his arms floating carelessly around. Then he looks 
exactly like certain plants that grow in the sea, and the fish never 
notice him. But the instant one of them touches either of the 
dreadful arms, it fastens on him, drags him up to the creature's 
mouth, and crams him in. 
I told you he was called a Mansucker. That is because of a 
habit he has of winding his horrible arms around a man if he 
chances to bathe in the neighborhood. If the unfortunate bather 
has no weapon to kill him, or cut off his arms, he is sure to be 
hugged to death. 
Sometimes this interesting mDnster makes himself into a web, 
something like a gigantic spider's web. He goes among the 
stems of a plant that grows in straight long stems, and winding one 
arm around one long stalk, he stiffens on the other seven, so that 
he looks just like the plant stems, and the fishes, not seeing what 
it is, are easily caught. 
His scientific name Cepkalopod, means head-fcoted, because 
his legs (for they are legs as well as arms, you know,) ccme out of 
the head. 
It isn't a very pleasant idea to us, but the Indians of North 
America, who live on the shore, are fond of eating this monster; 
and to catch him, and not have him catch you, is a delicate job, I 
can tell you. 
The Indian is very cunning about it, and this is the way he 
does it. He paddles around in his canoe, looking carefully through 
the clear water till he sees one of the creatures with its arms stuck 
out, waiting for its breakfast. The Indian has a spear ten or twelve 
feet long, with a dreadful cluster of hard wood spears with barbs 
on, at the ends. He now cautiously puts the spear down through 
the water till it is only about an inch from the body of the Octopus, 
and then sends it crushing down into him. 
Of course his first action is to grasp his tormentor, so he winds 
his horrid arms around the pole. The Indian holds him carefully 
off, for if he could reach the canoe with one arm, he could tip it 
over in an instant. 
But he isn't dead yet, so the Indian draws him out of thc^watcr, 
then taking another spear, smooth and sharp, he stabs the creature 
where the arms join the body. 
