The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1867-01-18

of Vancouver Island, as well as ON the main
land. These places afford lurking-dens,
strong-holds and natural sea-nurseries.
where the octopus grows to an enormous
size fattens and wages war with Unsuitable
voracity on all and everything it can catch
Safe from heavy breakers, it lives as IN an
aquarium of smooth. lake-like water, that
save In the ebblng and flowing of the tide,
knows no change or disturbance
"Ihe ordinary resting place OF this hide
Gus sea-hcast' Is under large stone or in
the wide cleit Of n rock, where an octopus
can creep and squeeze itself with the fat-
ness of a sand-dab or the slipperness of an
eel. Its modes of locomotion are curious
and varied. using the eight arms as pad
dies ana working them alternately, the
central disk representing a boat, octopi
row themselves along with an ease and
celebrity comparable 10 the many-oared
caique that glides upon the tranquil waters
OF the Bosphorus they can amhle at will
over the sandy rOadways intersecting their
submarine parks, and, converting arms
into legs, march on like huge spider.
Gymnasts of che highest order, they climb
the slippery ledges, as flies walk up a
window pane attaching the countless
suckers that arm the terrible limbs 90 the
Iace of the rocks, or to the wreck and sea-
weed, they go about, back downward, like
marine sloths, or, cllnglng with an arm to
NNNAiE NiEtis IitIIOlln series OF tfuDpFe
movements that Lcotard might view with
envy.
Il have often, when on the rocks, In
Esquimault harbOr, watched my friends
proceedings; the water being clear and
still, it Is iust like peeriug into M aquarium
OF huge proportions crowded with endless
varieties ofscurious sea monsters: although
grotesque and ngly 70 look at yet all alike
displaying the wondrOus works of creative
wisdom In all the coy little hooks and
corners Of the harbor the great seawreck
(Nacrecysus) grows widely having
straight round stem that comes up from
the bottom. often with a stalk three hun
dred feet long; reaching the surface, it
spreads out two feet long. tapering leaves
that hoat upon the. water; this sea forest is
the favoritc hunting grounds of Octopi
81 do not think in itsl native element an
octopus otNQ catches Mis- prey on the
ground or Oh Me rocks, but waits TOR them
jttt as the spider does, only the octopus
converts itself into a web, and a fearful
web, too. Fastening one arm to a stout
stalk. sti0ening out the other seven, one
would hardly know It from the wreck
amongst which it Is concealed. 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 the lurking monster,
so artfully concealed, is close at hand
Two or three of them rub against the arms
fatal touch! As though powerful cleo
trio shock had passed through the fish and
Knocked it senseless, so does the arm of the
octopus paralyZe its victim; then winding
a great suckor-clad cable round the palsied
fsh--as an elephant winds its trunk round
anything to be conveyed to the mouth
draws the dainty mOrsel to the center of
the disk, where the beaked mouth seizes,
and soon sucks 1t i'm
By a sort of poetical justice, the tyrants
of the sea caverns are themselves hunted
by an enemy of untiring pertinacity. The
Indian regards the octopus as a great deli
cacy, especially when its huge glutinous
body is carefully roasted. Were the
octopus once to get its long, thong-lile
feelers over the side of the canoe, and at
the same time retain a hold upon the sea-
wrack, it could as easily haul it over as
child could n basket. This the crafty In
dian well knows. How he captures him
Mr.. Lord thus describes:
"Paddling the canoe close TO the rocks,
and quietly pushing aside the wrack, the
sage peers through the crystal water, until
his practised eye detects an octopus. with
its great ropelike arms stiiliened out. wait
ing patiently for food His spear is twelve
feet long, armed at the end with four
pieces of hard wood. made harder by being
baked and eharred in the fire; these pro-
spearhaft each piece having Il barb on one
side, and are arranged in circle round the
spcar-end, and lashcd 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 |
center disk, and then sends it in as deep as |
he can send it. Writhing with pain and |
passion, the octopus coils its terrible arms |
around the shaft; redshin making the side |
of the canoe a fulcrum for his spear keeps |
the struggling monster well off, and raises |
1t TO the surface of the water. He is danger |
Gus now; if he could get aholdfast on either |
savage or 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 unbarbed, long, straight, smooth and |
very sharp, and with this he stabs the oc- |
topus where the arms join the central disk. |
! suppose the spear must break down the |
nervous ganglions supplying motive power |
as the stabbed arms lose at once strength |
and tenacity; the suckers that a moment |
before held ON with force ten men could |
not overcome, relax, and the entire ray |
hangs like dead snake, a limp, lifeless |
mass. And thus the Indian stabs and stabs |
until the octopus, deprived of all power to |
do harm, is dragged into the canoe. a great, |
inert, quivering lump of brownlooking
jelly"