Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1877-10-25
A Monster sf O. +

A St. John. (N. {. j ee{l ~
the New York Veil, ~ III
times called deyil-fskl s.. ~
Gently shipped from tar ~
York. The qclster Nss,dFi1 es
during heavy fsle, tia n
an exhausted e6adiiid 81
men who loaded their WI 81
case and took &c to 81. 96kif ID
vas exhibited for .. whjtt 4
says:
1 have carefully taken the measure
ment of the monster, and the following
are the dimensions: The two long ten
tacles are each thirty feet; the body ten
feet in length, making the total length
from the termination Of the outstretched
long arms to extremity Of the tail forty
feet. The long tentacles are thin and
tough as leather, being only five inches
in circumference, except at the exsrem-
tiles. where they broaden out and are
eight inches in circumference. The
body at its thickest part Is nearly seven
feet in circumference. There are eight
short arms, which at the point Of juno
ton with the central mass are seven
teen inches in circumference, but at their
extremities taper down to fine tongue
like points, having rows Of suckers
along one side. tried to count these
suckers on one arm, which is eleven
feet in length, and made out $50, large
and small; so that the eight arms must
contain 1000 suckers; the long arms
perhaps $50 more. The head or GEN.
trail mass, from which the arms radiate,
is four and half feet in circumference.
Unfortunately the delicate eyes had
been destroyed on the voyage or in put
ting it on board; but the socket of one
measured eight inches in diameter.
The appearance Of the animal when
in the water is described by the fisher
men as extraordinary. The tail had got
fast on rock as It was swimming back
ward, and it was rendered powerless.-
In its desperate efforts to escape, the ten
arms darted about in all directions, lash
ing the water into foam, the thirty-foot
tentacles in particular making lively
play as it shot them out and endeavored
to get purchase" with their power
full suckers, so as to drag itself into
deep water. 1t was only when IT be-
came exhausted and the tide receded
that the fishermen ventured to approach
it. Its mode OF moving through the
water is remarkable. Behind the head
on one side q tube or funnel is visible,
which is connected with the bronchial
or breathing organs. The water is
admitted to these organs by valves,
which allow it to enter on the muscular
dilation OF the body; and when the wa
ter so admitted has communicated its
oxygen TO the blood it is expelled by
this tube. just as in the case Of fishes it
is driven out at the gills. But then
this eiiete water, after purifying the
blood OF the creature, is not merely got
rid OF, but is utilized so as to be subser.
Went to the movements Of the animal.
BY ejecting the water through the fun
mel with force it is, by the reaction OF
the surrounding medium, enabled to
dart backward with amazing rapidity.-
This is ITS usual mode of locomotion
and nothing can surpass the ease and
elegance OF such movements. The
body is just visible above the surface OF
the water, the funnel Is at work below,
like hydraulic engine, ejecting the wa
ter, while the triangular fin which forms
the tail acts the part OF front rudder
and directs the way. II also moves
forward by means OF the fin-like expan-
sion OF its ta,l, and sideways BY means
of the side-tins or the expansions of the
mantle. II can also use its arms and
legs and crawl along the bottom of the
sea with its head downwards. The
backward motion, however, is that " hich
is most graceful and natural in the giant
squid. When moving through the wa
ter its arms are folded together. When
grasping its prey it shoots out one of the
long, 1.-THE tentacles, which are endowed
with a high degree Of muscularity, and
as quickly as cat could clap her paw
on mouse the extremity Of the arm
covered with suckers seizes the object
by the suckers, the pistons Of W hich are
quickly retracted and the sharp, dentic-
ulated edges are pressed with enormous
force on the surface Of the victim
Then the other arms twine round and
from that corpse-like embrace there is
no escape. Altogether, the gigantic
euttle-fish is the most wonderful Of all
the denizens Of the great deep.