Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1867-05-03

save IN the eDbIng and n0Wlng OF the tldei
4 knows no change of disturbance
The ordinary resting place Of this hide
Gus 'sea-beast Is under 4 large stone or IN
the wide cleft of rock, where. an octopus
/ can creep ard squeeze itself with the flatneSs
] Of a sand-dap or the slipperiness of an eel.
I It's modes Of locomotion are curious and
/ varied using the eight arms as paddles and
/ working them alternately, the central disk
+ representing boat, oetOpi row themselves
/ along with an ease and celerity comparable
/ to the many-Oared caique that glides over
/ the tranquil waters of the BosphOrus; they
/ can ramble at Will over the sandy roadways
/ intersecting their submarine parks, and
converting arms into legs, march on hike a
I huge spider, Gymnasts of the highest or
aeY lai they ,s Climb l the snpeFy ledges, as flies
I countless suckers that arm the terrible limbs
to the face ee the rocks, or to the wrach and
seaWeed they go about, back downward,
! like marine sloths, or, elinging withone arm
/ to the waving alg1, perform series OF tra-
/ peze movements that Leotard might view
with envy.
II have often when on the rocks, in Is
quimault harbor, watched my friend pro
eeedings; the water being clear and still, 1t
Is just like 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 works Of Creative wisdom. -
In all the cosy little hooks aud corners Of
the harbor the great seawrack (MacrocystIs)
grows wildly, having a straight round stem
that comes up from the bottom, often with
a stalk three hundred feet long reaching
the surface, it spreads out two long taper
ing leaves that float upon the water this
sea forest is the fayorite hunting ground OF
octopi.
Il do not think in its native element an
octopus often catches prey on the ground or
on the rocks, but waits for them just as a
spider does, only the octopus converts itself
into web, and fearful web to. Fasten-
ing one arm to a stout stalk, stiffening out
the other seven, one would hardly know it
from the Wraek amongst which it Is con
cealed Patiently he bldes his time, until
presently a shoal Of fish come gaily on,
threading their way through the sea-trees,
joyously happy, and little dreaming that
this lurking monster, so artfully concealed,
Is close at hand, Two or three Of them rub
against the arms fatal touch As though
a powerful electric shock had passed through
the fish and suddenly knocked it senseless
so does the arm of the oetogus paralyze It's
victim then winding a great sucker-clad
round the palsicd 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 in it.
BY a sort of poetieal justice, these tyrants
of the sea caverns are themselves hunted by
an enemy of untiring pertinaeity. The In-
dian regards the octopus as a great delicacy,
especially when its huge gluntinous body is
to Get Its long thong-I6e feeIers over the
side of the canoe, and at the same time re-
tain hold upon the seawrack, it could as
easily haul It over as a 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, the
savage peers through the crystal water, IN
til his practiced eye detects an octopus, with
its great ropelike arms stifiened out, waiting
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
charred in the fire these project about four
/ teen inches beyond the spear-hatt, each
/ piece having a barb on one side, and are ar
! ranged in 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 wafor until With
/ in an inch or so of the centre disk, and then
sends it in as deep as he can plunge it
/ Writing with pain and passion, the octo-
pus coils its terrible arms round the haft; /;
redskin making the side Of the canoe a
fulorum for hisspear, keeps the struggling
monster well of, and raises it to the surface
of the water lie Is dangerous now; if he
could get holdiast 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
unbarred, long, straight, smooth and very
sharp, and with tEis he stabs the octopus
where the arm join the central disk | sup
pose the spear must break down the nervous
/ ganglious supplying motive power, as the
stabbed arms lose at once strength and
tcnacity the suckers that moment before
held on with a force ten men could not have
overcome, relax, and the entire ray hangs
ike dead snake, limp, lifeless mass. -
And thus the Indian stabs and stabs, until
the octopus, deprived Of all power to Dc
harm, is dragged into the canoe, great,
inert, quivering lump Of brawn-looking iel-