The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1866-07-06

and klided about him he felt the strange
points OF pressure, which seemed to him
Hike mouths, change their places from timo
to time, -.w
Suddenly large, round, flattencd, glut-
inous mass issued from beneath the crevice.
1t was the ceuter; the five thongs were at.
tached to it like spokes to the nave Of o
wheel On the opposite side of this dis
lgusting monster appeared the commence
ment of three other tentacles, the ends of
which remained under the rock. In the
middle of this slimy mass appeared two
eyes,
The eyes were fixed on Gilliatt.
lie recognized the devil fish.
1t is difficult for those who have not seen
it to believe the existence of the devil fish.
Compared TO this creature. the ancient
hydrss are insignificant. @
II terror were the object Of its creation.
nothing could be Imagined moro perfect
than the devil fish.
The whale has enormous bulk the devil
/ fish is comparatively small the jararaca
makes o kissing noise, the devil fish is mute (;
the rhinooeros has horn the devil fish
has none; the scorpion has a dart, the
devil fish has no dart the shark has sharp
fms, the devil fish has no fms; the vespor.
tillio vampire has wings with claws, the
devil fish has no wings the porcupne
has his spines, the devil fish has no spines ;
the sword fish has his sword, the devil fish
has none the torpedo has its electric spark,
the devil fish has none the toad has it's
poison, the devil fish has none the viper
has its venom the devil fish has no venom
the lion has its talons, the devil fish has no
tOlons the grifTon has its beat, the devil
fish has no beak the crocodile has its jaws,
the devil fish has no teeth.
The devil fish has no muscular organiza-
tion, no menacing cry, no breastplate, no
horn, no DART no claw, no tail with which
to hold or bruise no cutting fms nor wings
with nails no prickles, no sword, no elec.
trio discharge, no poison, 10 talons, no beak,
no teeth-yet he is, of all creatures, the
most fornidably armed.
! What then is the devil fishH It is the
sea vampire.
The swimmer who, attracted by the beau.
1 ty OF the spot, ventures among breakers in
the open sea, whore the still waters hide
the spiendors of the deep, in the holows OF
untrequenttd rocks, unknown caverns,
Astounding in sea plants, testacea aud crus-
tacea, nnder the deep portals of the ocean,
runs the risk OF meeting it, If that fate
should be yours, be not curious, but fly.
The Intruder enters there dazzled, but quits
the spot in terror. r glDyf
This frightiul apparition, which is always
possible among the rocks it, the open sea,
is a grayish form which undulates in the
water 1t is the thickAess of mans arm,
and in length nearly Ave feet. It's outline
is ragged. Its form resembles an umbrella
closed, and without handle. This irregu
lar formLadvances slowly toward yon, Sud.
denly itopcns, and eight radii Issue abruptly
from around face with two eyes. These
radii are alive their undulation is like
lambent flames they resemble, when
opened, the spokcs of q wheel of four or
five feet in diameter \ terrible eXpan-
sion 1t springs upon its prey.
The devil fish larpoons its victim.
1t winds around the sufferer, covering
and entangling him in its long folds. I'm.
derneath, it is yellow above, dull, earthly
hue, Nothing could render that incxplic
allie shade dust colored. Its form is spider.
like, but its tints are like those of the
chameleon. When rritated it becomes
violent. It's most horrible characteristic is
its sofmess. lFEf %r- ~ 0 ra
It's folds strangIe, its contact paralyzes.
1t has an aspect like gangrened or scab.
rous flesh. 1t is moustruus embodiment
of disease.
1t adheres closely to lis prey and cannot
be torn away-a fact which is due to its
power of exhausting air. The eight antrnua,
large at their roots, diminish gradually ,ani
end in needlelike points. Underneath each
of these feelers rauge two rows of pustules,
decreasing in size, the larger one near the
head, the smaller at the eXtremities. Each
row contains twenty-five of these. There
are, therefore, fifty pustules to each feeler,
and the creature possesses, in the whole,
fourihundred, These pustules are capable
otacting like cuppipg glasses. They are car
tllaginous cylindrical, horny
and livid. Upon the large species they di-
minsh gradually from the diameter of five
franc piece to the size of split pea. These
small tubes can be thrust out and with
drawn by the animal at will. They are
capable of piercing to depth of more than
an inch.
This sucking apparatus has all the regu-
larity of a key board. 1t stands forth at
one moment and disappears the next. The
most perfect senstiveness cannot equal the
contractbility of these suckers, always
Iproporticned to the internal movement of
the animal and its exterior circumstances.
The monster is endowed with the qualities
of The sensitive plant fIr5
This animal is the same as those which
Hlol lhSlo Odll Oulpb WHlCu bClSHCo uOSlp"
mates Cephalopter@, and which ancient
legends call Krackens. It is the English
sailors who call them "devil fish, and
sometimes blood suckers In the Chan.
mel Islands they are called "pieuUreS."
When swimming, the devil fish rests, so
to speak, in its sheath. 1t swims with all
its parts drawn close. 1t may be likened
to sleeve sewn up with closed fist with.
in. The protuberance, which is the head,
pushes the water aside. and advances with
a vague undulatory movement. Its two
eyes, though large, are indistilci, being of
the color of the water.
When in ambush or seeking its prey, it
retires into itself-grows smaller and CON
denses itself. 1t is then scarcely dislin-
guishable in the submarine twilight.
At such times it looks like mere ripple
in the water. Itresembles any ything except
living creature.
The devil fish is crafty When its victim
is unsuspicious, it opens suddenly.
A glutinOus mass, endowed with ma
lignant will what can be more horrible?
1t is in the most beautiful azure depths
of the limpid water that this hideous, vora-
oious Ioup delights. 1t always cJnceals
itself-a fact which increases its terrible
associations. When they are seen, it is
almost invariably after they have been cap.
tured
At night, however, ard particularly iU
the hot season, it becomes phosphOrescent.
These horrible creatures have their pas
sions-ther submarine nuptials. Then it
adorns itself burns and ilumincs; and