The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1877-12-08
The Most Horrid Monster of the Sea.

The great attraction of the New York
aquarium Just now, is most frightful.
looking devil-fish-that most horrid and
hateful monster of the briny deep. Vic
tor Hugo has most wildly described the
prodigious power of this hideous mon
ster, with its long feelers and great mus
cular arms covered with rows of suck
crs, which instantsneously fastening to
any living thing they touch, drag the
victim under the water and to death.
The specimen in New York is of onor-
nous proportions and most fnghtful as
pect. Its body is ten feet long, and
eight arms eleven feet long. The ten
tacles are long, thin, Of triangular form,
and tough ~ leather, and are armed at
the ends with over one hundred suckers
each, The arms have two rows Of suck
ers running their entire length. An ac-
tual count was not made, but il is esti-
mated that altogether it has between
two thousand and twenty-five hundred
suckers
The sucking disks are composed Of q
muscular membrane, whose circumfer-
ference is thick and fleshy. The outer
circle of the cup is horned ring sharply
serrated around its edge. When they
strike a victim the sharp points penetrate
the skin, and the cups, by exhaustion
from within and constant pressure OF
the outer atmosphere, adhere firmly on
any substance to which they are applied.
The object thus secured, SO nrmly 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
devoured. The head is about two feet
and n half in circumference, the eyes
large and staring, and the beak, formed
almost like parrots is very sharp and
very powerful.
The action of the octopus, or devil
fish, when Selling its prey is like that of
cat bouncing upon mouse, but the
struggle is shorter, and there is some
thing devilish in its movements as it
plunges its fierce, black, horny beak
deep into the quivcring flesh Of its yet
living victim. The favorite position of
the monster is to conceal its body well
back in the creviees of rock, with two
or three Of its arms holding on firmly to
the sides, its other arms and tenacles
floating and feeling about in the water,
and its great eyes in the shadow OF its
cave maintaining vigilant watch.
Crabs, oysters, Holsters and all erustacea
and mollusks are its favorite food small
fish it also has great liking for, and II
one of either of these ventures within
its reach, quick as fash of lightning
the long, whip-like tentacle strikes 1T
in another second the arms have seized
and EMBODIED it, and it is being de-
voured.
The fish eats its food like bird Of
prey, and its beak is strong enough to
break its way through even the tena-
cious shell of turtle. 1t possesses, 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 human being, 1T
turns pale from exhaustion and fear, and
Aushes red when angry or excited. When
captured and taken from the water it
turns ashy white.
The utter helplessness of human be-
ing 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 mod
crate sized octopus holding fast to rock
is estimated at no less than thirty, and
from that to forty or fifty pounds. In
the Brighton aquarium small one was
seen drawing toward it stone weighing
between forty and fifty pounds.
The octopus has another meansof sell
protection, which, though never falling
in the water is useless when he happens
to be stranded on the shore. He is pro-
vided with remarkable organ, COM
monty called his ink-bag," which is
filed with dense fluid. When fright
ened or disturbed he discharges this in
such quantities as to discolor the water
for considerable space above and around
him. and under cover of its inky dark
ness he propels himself swiftly from the
place of danger.