The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-12-25
A Real sDevil.Fish"..Victor HuEo's
JOY. Narrative Matched.

narrative OF L1e nBletmln tllllutt8 en-
counter With tue octopus or sea.devil,
who winds his horrible suckers round
his victim, and gradually draws away
his LIES blood. The poet-novelist has
been accused OF exaggeration In this
incident, but according TO Mr.. Lord, an
English traveller, who has just PUBLISH
ed IN London q book about British
Columbia and the Pacific coast, the sea.
devils Of the North Pacific even outdo
the terrors Of the Channel Island
species. Mr.. Lord says: 5-..
1.-THE octopus as seen on our coasts,
although even here called man.
sucker, by the fishermen, ls a mere
Tom Thumb, a tiny dwarf as compared
TO the Brobdignagian proportions he at
talns In the snug bays and long Inland
canals along the east side Of Vancouver
Island, as well US on tho mainland.
These places afford lurklng.dens,
strongholds and natural sea.nurseries,
where tho octopus grows to an enor-
nous size, fattens and wages war with
Unsuitable voracity on all and every
thing II can catch. Safe from heavy
breakers, II lives as In an aquarium OF
smooth, lake-like water, that, save in
the ebbing and flowing, OF tho tido,
knows no change Of disturbance.
"The ordinary resting.plaCe of this
hideOus a.beastI Is under q large
stone, or in the wide cleft OF rock,
where an octopus can creep and
squeeze itself with the hatness OF an
eel. Its modes Of locomotlon are curl
Gus and Varied using the eight arms
as paddles, and working them alter
nately, the central disk representing a
boat, OptOpl row themselves along with
an ease and celerity comparable to the
many cared caique that glides over the
tranquil waters Of the Bosphorus; they
can ramble at will over the sandy road
ways intersecting their submarine
parks, and, converting arms into legs,
march on like a huge spider. Gym.
tasts of the highest order, they climb
the slippery lodges, US flies walk up a
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
downward, like marine sloths, or, cling.
ing with one arm to The waving alEe,
perform series of trnpeze movements
that Leotard might envy.
~ have often, when on the rocks, In
uhIbDAR "uNCDtu INV
friends proceedings; tho water being
clear and still, 1t is just like peering
into an aquarium Of huge proportions,
crowded with endless varieties OF Gu
rious sea-monsters; although groteSque
and ugly to look ut, yet nll alike dis
playing the wondrous works of Creative
wisdom. In all the cosy little hooks
aud corners Of the harbor the great sea-
wrack (Macrocystis) grows wildly,
having straight round stem that
comes up from the bottom, often with
stalk three hundred leet long; reaching
the surface, 1t tspreads out two long ta.
pering leaves that float upon the water;
this sea-forest Is the iayorite hunting.
ground Of octOpi. ..a.-
~ do not think in It's native element
an octopus often catches prey on the
ground or OH the rocks, but waits for
them just us a spider does, only the
octopus converts itself into n web, and
II fearful web too. Fastening one arm
to stout stalk, stifiening out the other
seven, one would hardly know It from
the wrack amongst which 1t is con-
cealed. Patiently he bides his time,
until presently shoal OF fish come
gaIly on, threading their way through
the sea trees, joyously happy,
and little dreaming that this
lurking monster, SO artfully con-
ceaIed, is close ut hand. Twoor three
of them rub against the arms; fatnl
touch! AS though powerful electric
shock had pnssGd through the fish and
suddenly knocked it senseless, 80 does
the arm OF the octopus paralyze its vic.
tim; then winding ii great sucker. clad
cable round the palsied tish-as an ele.
phant winds its trunk round anything
10 be conveyed to the mouth-draws
the dainty molsel to the centre of the
disk, where the beaken mouth seizes,
and soon sucks 1t in."
By sort ofpoetical Justice, these ty.
rants of the sen-caverns are themselves
hunted by an enemy OF untiring perth
nRcity. The Indian regards the octo.
pus rs great delicaoy, especially when
Its huge glutinous body Is carefully
roasted. Were the octopus once 10 get
its long thong-like feelers over the side
Of tho canoe, and at the same time re-
tain hold upon the seawrack, II could
us easily haul II over as child could n
basket. This tho crafty Indian well
knows. How he captures him Mr..
Lord thus describes
"Paddliug the canoe close 10 the rocks,
and quietly pushing aside the wrack,
tho savage peers through the crystal
water, until his practised eye detects an
octopus. with It's great ropeliko arms
stIfIened out, waiting patiently for
food. His spear Is twelve feet long,
armed ut tho end with four pieces Of
hard wood, nude harder by being bak-
ed and charred iu the fre; these pro.
ject about fourteen inches beyond the
spenr-hHft, each piece having barb on
one side, and are arranged In a circle
round tho spear.ond, and lnshed firmly
on with cedar bark. Having spIed out
the octopus, tho hunter passes the spear
carefully through the water until with
In an inch or so of the centre disk, and
then sends II IN rs deep us he can
plunge 1t. Wrlthing with pnin aud pas
sion, the octopus coils Its terrible arms
round tho haft; redskln making the
side of the canoe u fulcrum for his
spear, keeps the struggling monster
well of, and raises 1t 10 the surface Of
the wRter. lie Is dangerous now II
he could get hOldfast on either saV-
age or CunOe,, nothing short of chop.
ping of tho arms piecemeal would be
ofNny avail. .tt.
"Bltthe willy redskln knows all this,
and hNs taken care 10 have ready
another spear unbarbed, long, straight,
smooth and very sharp, and with this
he stabs the octopus where the arms
join the central disk. | suppose tho
spear must break down tho nervous
gnnglions supplying motive power, as
the stabbed arms lose Mt once strength
md t0nnClty: the suckers that n mo-
ment before held on with n force ten
men could not have overcome, relax,
and tho entire rHy hNngs like dead
snake, limp, lifCless mass. And thus
the Indian stnbs and stubs, until the
octopus, deprived Of all power TO do
harm Is dragged intothc canoe, n great,
inert, qulverlng lump OF brown.looking
jelly" -
A SINGULAR sToRY.-A Detroit paper
relates that SGotchmnn named Jnmps
Henry McGrcgor, who camo to this
coll mnirY In $500 on llsinl na a RnlIlinr In