The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-12-26
A REAL "DEvlL-FIsH i"
Victor IIugo,s NnrrntIre nrntoho,

Readers OF M. Victor Hugos "Tolers of the
Sea- will remember the terrible narrative of
the fisherman Gilliatts encounter with the
octopus or sea-deyil, who winds his horrible
suckers round his victim, and gradually draws
away his hie's blood The poet-novelist has
been accused of exaggeration in this incident,
but according TO Mr.. Lord, an English traveller,
who has Just published in London a book about
British Columbia and the Pacific coast, the sea.
devils OF the North Pacific even outdo the
tcrrors of the Channel Island species. Mr.
Lori says:-
'The octopus as seen on our coasts, although
even here called a 'mansucker' by the fisher
men, Is a mete Tom Thumb tiny dwarf as
compared to the BrobdIgnaeian proportions he
attains IN tine snug bays and long inland canals
along the east side of Vancouver Island, as well
as on the mainland. These places afford lurk-
ing-dens, stronghOlds, and natural sea-nurserics
where the octopus grows TO an enormous size
fattens, and wages war. with unsuitable yora
city on all and everything IL can catch. Safe
from heavy bi cas- ers lt lives as IN an AQUARIUM
OF smooth, lake-1ke water that, save in The ebb
ing and flowing OF tine tile, knows no change
or disturbance.
The ordinary resting-place of this hiieous
'sea-beast Is under large stone or in the wide
cIeiI Oh roGk, where an octopus can creep and
squeeze itself with the fiatness of "A sand-uab or
the slpperiness of an eel. Its modes OF locomo.
ton are curious and varied; using the eight
arms as paddles, and working tlem alternately,
the central disk representing boat octODi row
themselves along with an ease aud celerity COM
parable TO the many.armed caque that elides
over the tranquil waters OF the Bosphorus; they
can ramble at will over the sandy roadways in.
terseCtlng their submarine parks, and, convert
ing arms into legs, march on like a huge spider
Gymnasts of the highest order, they climb the
slippery ledges, as dies walk up window pane,
attaching the countless suckers that arm the
terrible limbs to the face OF the rocks or to the
wraCk and seaweed, they go about back down.
ward, like marine sloths, or, Clngng with one
arm 10 the waving algT, perform series of
uapeze movements that Leotard might view
with envy.
81 have often, when on the rocks In E5oui-
mault harbOr watched my friends proceedings;
the water being clear and sull IL ls inst Ike
peering into an aquarium of huge PROPORTIONS
crowded with endless varieties OF curious sea
monsters; although grotesque and ugly to look
at, yet all alike displaying the wondrous work
OF Creative wisdom. In all the cosy little nooks
and corners of the haTbor the great seawrac<
(MacTocysus) grows wildly, having a straight
round stem that comes up from the bottom
often Wlth a stalk three hundred feet long;
reaching the surface, il spreads out two lone
tapering leaves that float upon the water; this
sea-iorest is the fayorite hunting ground of
octopi.
81 do not think in its native element an octo-
pus often catches prey on the ground or on the
rocks, but waits for them Just as a spid..r does
only the octopus converts itself into web and
a fearful web too. Fastening one arm to a stout
hardly know it from the wrack amongst whicn
1t is concealed. Patiently be bides his time
until presently a shoaI of fish come gaily on,
threading their way through the sea.trees
JOY ously happy, and little dreaming that this
lurking monsser, so artfully concealed, is close
at hand. Two or three of them rub against the
arms; fatal touch As though powerful electric
shock had passed through the fish and suddeniv
oetepns paf,iy ze ITS vlcti4 then Windne great
cable round the palsed fsh-as am
n nut to hp
conveyed to the mouth -draws the dainty morsel
to the centre of the disk, where the beaxed
mouth seizes, and soon sucks it inn
BY sort OF poeticql justice, these tyrants OF
the sea-cayerns are themselves hunted by an
enemy OF untirlng pertinacity The Indian
regards the octopus as great delicacy, cspe-
cIally when Its huge glutinOus body is carefully
roasted. Were the octopus once to get its long
thOng-like ieelers over the side of the canoe
and at the same time retain a hold upon the
seawrack, 1t could as easily haul it over as u
child could basket This the crafty Indian well
knows How he captures him Mr.. Lord thus
describes:-
Padding the canoe close to the rocks. and
quietly pushing aside the wrack, tue savage peers
through the crystal water, until his practised
eye detects an octopus, with great Tope-like
arms stitfened out, waiting patently for TODD.
His spear is twelve feet long, armed at the end
with four pieces of hard wood, ma lie harder by
being baked and charred in the fire; these pro-
ject about fourteen inches beyond the spear
haft, each piece having barb on one side and
are arranged III circle round the spear end,
and lashed firmly on with cedar bark. Having
spied out the octopus, the hunter passes
the spear carefully through the water until
within an inch or so of the centre disk, aud then
sends it in as deep as he can plunge it. Writhiug
with pain and passion, the octopus coils its ter
rible arms round the haft; Iedskin, making the
side of the canoe a fulcrum for his spear, keeps
the struggling monster well of, and raises it TO
the surface OF the water. He is dangerous now;
If he could get hOldfast on either savage OF
canoe, nothing short of chopping off the arms
piecemeal would be of any avail.
"But the willy redskIn knows all this, and has
taken care to have ready another spear un.
barbed, long, straight, smooth, and very Sharp.
and with this he stabs the octopus where the
arms loin the central disk. / suppose the spear
must break down the nervous gangllons supply
ing motve-power, as the stabbed arms lose al
once strength and tenacity; the socBers that
before held on with a force ten men
could not have overcome, relax, and the entire
ray hangs like a dead snake, limp, hieess
mass. And thus the Indian stabs and stabs,
until the oc opus, deprived of all power to do
harm, is dragged into the canoe, great, inert,
quivering lump of brown-loOking jelly.n
Scene in Menagerie.