Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1877-11-03

un, the largest ever caught, is attract
ing attention. Victor Hugo has wildly
described the prodigious power
of this devil of the sea, with its long
feelers and great, muscular arms,
covered with rows Of suck
ers, which, instantaneously fastening to
any living thing they touch, drag the
victim under water, and to death, to
feed the monster which, hidden in the
crevice of rock, lies in wait for his
prey. More than 1920 years ago Arts
totle recorded observations. Of the OetO-
pus, or polypus, which shows that he
had then better knowledge Of its ways
than any other writer since his day.
The fish.has long been known to natur
alists. Itfgures among Egyptian bier
oglyphics, and from knowledge Of it
was probably originated the idea of the
Lernean Hydra, whose heads, when cut
of by Hercules grew again. ~ r.
In 1861 an octopus was exhibited in
the aquarium in BOulogne, and in 1872
the first specimen was received in the
Brighton Aquarium. 1t was very small,
and was caught in a lobster-pOt at East
bourne. Like all Of its kind it dislikes
the light, and soon built for itself a
grOtto of living oysters which the at
PENDANTS called the Cottage by the
Sea- and in which it lay partly con-
cealed most of the time, only occasional
ly emerging from its hiding place. In
January, 1873, it was swallowed whole
by voracious dogfish. ....,. yar.-F
The devil-iish now in this city is an
enormous specimen. Its body is 10
feet long, it has two 9ntacles 80 feet
long, and eight arms IL feet long. The
tenacles are long, thin, of triangular
form, and tough as leather, and are
armed at the ends with over 100 suckers
each. The arms have two rows OF
suckers running their entire length. An
actual count was not made, but it is es-
timated that altogether it has between
1900 and 200 suckers. The sucking
disks are composed of a muscular mem.
brane, whose circumference is thick and
fieshy. The outer circle OF the cup is O
horned ring sharply serrated around its
edge. When they strike victim the
sharp points penetrate the skin, and the
cups, BY air exhaustion from within and
consequent pressure of the outer at
mosphere, adhere firmly to the sub
stance to which they are applied. The
object thus secured, so firmly bound by
these terrible arms that no struggle for
freedom can be made, is carried to its
mouth and torn to shreds before it is de-
youred. The head is about two feet
and a half in circumference, the eyes
large and staring, and the beak, formed
almost exactly like a parrots, is very
sharp and very powerful. wi
The action of the octopus when seiz.
ing its prey is like that Of a cat pOunc.
ing upon mouse, but the struggle i,
shorter, and there is something devilist
in its movements as it plunges its fiSrce
black, horny beak deep into the culver
ing flesh of its yet living victim. ~ as
The favorite position of the octopus i:
to conceal its body well back in tbs
crevice of rock, with two or three Of
its arms holding on firmly to the sides
its other arms and tentacles floating anC
feeling about in the water, and its grea
eyes in the shadow of its cave maintain
ing vigilant watch. Crabs, Holsters
oysters, and all crustacea and mollusk.
are its favorite food; small fish it also
has great liking for, and IL one o
either of these ventures within its reach
quick as flash of lightning the long
whip-like tentacle strikes it, in another
second the arms have seized and enfold
ed it, and it is being devoured. Thi
fish eats its food like bird Of prey, ant
its beak is strong enough to break il
way through even the tenacious shell O
turtle. 1t possesses, also, the chame
leon power of being able to change it
color at will, to match the exact shad,
of the rocky cave in which it is hiding
and like a human being it turns pale
from exhaustion or fear, and flushes reC