The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1877-11-07
A MONSTER or THE DEEP.

A st. Johns IN. FL correspondent q
New York World gives aD interesting
account Of a huge cuttle-fisn isonletinis
called vil~f-lil which was recently sliIi'
ped from that place 10 New York. I'M
monster wag driven ashore during n lleavs
guile, and was .ound In All exhausted con
dition by two fishermen who loaded theil
boat with the carcass aud took II to 81
Johns. where ii was exhibited for Will
aud attracted much attention. Tlls
correspondent says: ia
fhave carefully taken the measure
inent Of the monster, and the following
are the dimensions: The Two long tenta
cles are thirty feet; the body ten feet IN
length. making the total length from ths
termination OF tho olitstrelched long arm,
toexir~mity Of the tail forty feet. The
long ientacles are thin and tough asleather
being only five inches In circumftr nee
except ut the cxtremities, where they
broaden out and are eight inches In cir
conference. The body at It's thickest
part Is nearly seven feet In circumference.
There are eight shoit arms, which at The
point of junciioa with tine central mass
are seventeen inches. III circumference,
hut ut their extremitles taper down 10 fine
tongue-like points. having rows ofhucken
along one side. ] tried to count these
suckers on one arm. which Is eleven feet
In length, and made out $50, large and
small; 40 that tile eight arms must con.
tain 1000 suckers; the long arms perhaps
$50 more. The head orceniral mass, from
which the arms radiate, is four and a halt
feet In circumference. Unfortunately the
delicate eyes had been destroyed on The
voyage os In putting Il on board; but the
socket of one measured eight inches In
diameter.
The appearance OF the animal when In
tie water is described by the fishermen as
extraordinary. The tail had got fast on a
rock Us It WAS swimming backward, aud
it wss rendered powerlcss. In its des-
perate efforts 10 escape the ten arms dar-
ted about III all directions, lnshing the
water Into foam. tile thirty-foot tentaclss
in particular making lively play as IL shot
them out and endeavored to get 'pur-
chase with thcIr powerful suckers, so ~
TO drag itself into deep IL wasonly
when i: became enl,ansted and the tide
receeded that the fishermen vcntured 10
approach IL. It's mode ofnioviug through
the water II remarkable. Behind the
head on one sidea tubeor funnel Is visible,
which Is connected with the bronchial or
breathing organs. The water Is admitted
10 these organs by valves, which allow Il
10 enter on the muscular dilaiIun ofthe
body; aud when the water 50 admitted has
communicated ils oxygen 10 the blood II
Il expelled By this tube. just as In the case
Of fishes Il Is driven out at the gills. But
then lhb Gillette water, after purifying the
blood Of the creature, Is not merely got
rid Of, but is utilized so as to he suh-
seryient 10 the moyementso Of the animal.
by cjccling the water through the funnel
with force II ii, ~ the reaction % the sur
rounding medium, enabled 10 dart nack-
ward with amazing rapldiIy. This Is lis
usual mode of loconotion, and nothing
can surpass the ease aud elegance Of such
movements. The body is just visible
above tile surface Of the water; the funnel
is at work below, like hydraulic engine.
tjeciing tile water while the triangular
fin which forms the tall acts the part Of u
front ruddcr aud directs the way. Italro
moves forward by means OF the fin-like
expansion 0f It's tall, and sideways by
means oflhe siie~iinsor the expansions
or tile mantle. II can also use lis arms
and legs and crawl along the bottom Of tho
sea with It's head ,lownwards. The back
ward motion, however, Is that which Is
nlo,t graceful aud natural In the giant
squid. When moving through ille wafer
ilsarns are folded together. When grass
ping iis prey itsioots out one Of the long,
1.-THE tentaclcs, which are endowed will,
high degree Of musculadty, aud a.
quickly rs cat could clap her pawon a
mouse the extremity Of the arm covered
with suckers selves the object by the
suckers, the pisions u which are quickly
retmcted and the shaip, denticulated edges
are pressed wi:h enormous force on the
surface o. the victim. Then the other
nrins twine round and graspii, and from
that corpse-liSe embrace there lsno escape.
Altogether, the gigantic cuitle-flsh isthe
most wonderful ofall the deniEens Of the
great deep
s.sss-3.s~s-s-s~-
Never. no mover marry for money.
rraycly remarked the pastor 10 the youth.