The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-01-16
The OctOuus.

In0ugn all the OctOpOds, large or
small, can swim freely at will, such is
not their habit; they prefer to lie con-
cealed, or partially so, on the side or in
the clefts of rocks. There the octopod's 8
body is protected from the attacks of
other animals, while it can extend it's
long feelers in search of prey, of which
fish, mollusks, and crustaceans are the
principal objects. Its movements, when
an object of food is perceived, are mar
velously rapid, swifter than the flight of
an arrow from the bow of an expert
enced hunter. The long, flexible arms
grasp the victim; its hundreds of suck
ers, acting like pneumatic holders, make
escape impossible; and, as the long
arms draw the object nearer and nearer,
the other shorter arms add their multi
piled disks, forming SIS perfect mitrail-
leuse of inverted air guns, which take
horrid hold, and the pressure of the air
is so great that nothing but closing the
throttle-valve can produce relaxation"
This throttle-valve is the neck, as we
have before described. Those lengthy
appendages, the limbs, are rather in the
way when the animal is swimming, and
would act as drag-anchors if left pen
dent; but the octopus usually draws
them close alongside, whence they ex-
tend in horizontal position, acting the
part of tail to kite. It propels it.
self by drawing in and expelling water
through its locomotory tube. The oc-
topus swims backward, and it has been
remarked that it changes its color to
darker hue when it starts out for a swim.
This change OF hue, apparently at
will, is one of the most peculiar charac.
teristics of the octopus. It may be con.
sidered the chameleon of the sea. Its
ordinary color when in repose is a mot
tied brown; but if irritated it assumes
reddish hue, approaching to purple.
perhuously careful in furnishing this ami
NAL with protecting elements; for this
coloring matter, which resides between
the inner and outer skin, enables it even
to assume the color of the ground or
rocks over which it travels, 80 that one
can hardly say what color it is before it
may have changed to something quite
different. When exhausted after bat
tie or struggle to get out of trap, it
turns pale like human being.
Others besides Victor Hugo's hero
have had chance to test the strength
of these devil fishes. Major Newsome,
r. E., when stationed on the east coast
of Africa in 1867, undertook to bathe
in pool of water left by the retiring
waves. He says: GAS L swan from
one end to the other, was horrited at
feeling something around my ankle, and
made for the side as speedily as 1 could.
l thought at first it was only sea weed;
but as landed and trod with my foot
on the rock, my disgust was heightened
at, feeling a fesby and slippery SUBJ
stance under me. / was, l confess,
alarmed; and SO apparently was the
beast on which trod, for he detached
himself and made for the water. Some
fellow bathers came to my assistance,
and he was eventually landed.
AS the grasp of an ordinary. sized octo.
pus holding to a rock is not less than
thirty pounds, while the floating power
of a man is between five and six pounds,
I believe if I had not kept in mid.chan-
mel it would have been a life.and-death
struggle between myself and the beast
on my ankle. In the open water I was
the best man; but near the bottom or
sides, which he could have reached with
his arms, but which / could not have
reached with mine, he would certainly
have drowned me. ."-Popular Science
Monthly.