The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-11-09
CATCHING THE DEyIL-FIsH.
The Most Terrible of the Known Monsters
OF the Ocean-The Tremendous Power OF
the Extraordinary Fish.

% the Oceau-Ine tremendous rover oil
the Extraordinary Fish.
Prom the New York SUM- ~
The devil-fish now in this city is an
enormous specimen. It's body is ten
feet long, it has two tentacles thirty feet
long, and eight arms eleven feet long.
The tentacles are long, thin, of triangu-
lar form, and tough as leather, and are
armed at the ends with over 100 suckers
each. The arms have two rows of suck
ers running their entire length. An
actual count was not made, but it is
estimated that altogether it has between
1000 and $500 suckers. The sucking
disks are composed of a muscular mem
brane, whose circumference Is thick and
fieshy. The outer circle of the cup is a
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 any 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-
voured. The head is about two feet and
half in circumference, the eyes large
and staring, and the beak, formed al
most exactly like parrots, is very
sharp and very powerful.
The action of the octopus when seiz-
ing its prey is like that of cat pounc-
ing upon mouse, but the struggle is
shorter, and there is something devilish
IN its movement as it plunges its fierce
black, horny beak deep into the CULVER
ing flesh of its yet-living victim.
The favorite position of the octopus is
to conceal its body well back in the
crevice of rock, with two or three OF
its arms holding on firmly to the sides,
its other arms and tentacles floating and
feeling about in the water, and it's great
eyes in the shadow OF its cave maintain
ing vigilant watch. Grabs. Holsters,
oysters, and all crustacea and mollusks
are its favorite food; small fish it also
has great liking for, and if one of
either of these ventures within It's
reach, quick as fash of lightning the
long, whip-like tentacle strikes it, IN
another second the arms have seized
and infolded it, and it is being de-
voured. The fish eats it's food like
bird of prey, and its beak is strong
enough to break it's way through even
the tenacious shell of turtle. 1t pos
sesses, also, the chameleon power of
being able to change its color at will, to
match the exact shade of the rocky cave
in which it is hiding, and like a human
being it turns pale from exhaustion or
fear, and fiushes red when angry or ex-
cited. When captured and taken from
the water, it turns to an ashy white.
The Sun recently contained an ac-
count of the death of an Indian woman
who had been seized by one of these
terrible creatures while she was bathing
i'll the sea near Victoria. The utter
helplessness of human being when in
the devil-fish's grasp may be imagined
when it is said that the floating power
of man is seldom over six pounds, and
that the grasp of moderate-sized octo-
pus holding fast to rock is estimated
at not less than thirty, and from that to
forty and fifty pounds. In the Brighton
aquarium small one was seen drawing
toward it a stone weighing between forty
and fifty pounds.
Mr.. Thomas Beale, who was the sur
geon of South-sea whaling ship, and
who afterward printed q History of
the Sperm Whale" gives an interesting
account of his encounter while on the
BONN islands with small octopus,
which had been washed ashore and left
by the receding tide. 1t SCENE d fright
ened at first, and endeavored to escape,
and in trying to detain it he pressed ON
one of its legs with his foot. He con-
tinues "But, although / made use of
considerable force for that purpose, its
strength was so great that it several
times quickly liberated its member in
spite of all the efforts L could employ
in this way on wet, slippery rocks. L
now laid hold of one of it's tentacles
with my hand, and held it firmly, 80 that
the limb appeared as if it would be
torn asunder by our united strength. l
soon gave it powerful jerk, wishing to
disengage it from the rocks to which it
chung 30 forcibly by its suckers. which
it effectually resisted; but the moment
after, the apparently enraged animal
lifted his head, with its large eyes pro-
iecting from the middle of its body, and,
letting go its hold upon the rocks,
sprung upon my arm, which had pre-
viously barred to the shoulder, and chung
with its suckers to it with great power,
endeavoring to get its beak, which 1
could now see between the roots of its
arms, in position to bite. A sensation
of horror pervaded my whole frame when
1 found this monstrous animal had af-
fixed itself so firmly to my arm. It's
cold, shiny grasp was extremely sicken-
ing, end 1 Immediately called
aloud to the Captain, who was searching
for shells at some distance, to come and
release me from my disgusting assailant.
He quickly arrived, ana, taking me down
to the boat, during which L was en-
ployed in keeping the beak away from
my hand, quickly released me by de-
stroying my tormentor with boat
knife, when disengaged it by portions
at time. This animal must have meas
ured across its extended arms about four
feet, while its body was not larger than
a large clenched hand. This little fell
low which it took two men to destroy,
when he was out of his native element,
was hardly one-tenth the size of the one
now in New York.
The octopus has another means of