Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-02-05
The Octopus.

Though all the octopods, large or
small, can SWIM freely at will, such is
not their habit; they prefer to lie con-
cealed, OF partially so, on the side or in
the clefts of rocks. There the octO-
pods is protected from the attacks of
other animals, while it can extend its
long feelers in search Of prey, of which
fish, mulluks, and crustaceans are the
principal objects. Its movements,
when an object OF food is perceived, ara
marvel0usly rapid, swifter than the
flight of al arrow from the bow of an
experienced hunter. The long flexible
arms grasp the victim; its hundreds OF
suckers, acting like pneumatic holders.
make escape impossible; and. aS the
long arms bring the object nearer,
the other shorter arms add their multi
piled disks, forming ''s perfect mitrail-
leuse of inverted air pumps, which take
herrid hold, and the pressure of the
air is 50 great that nothing but closing
the rrottle-valve can produce relaXa-
ton" This trOttle-valve is ihe neck,
as we have before described. Those
lengthy appendages, the limbs, are IA
ther in the way when the animal is
swimming, and act as drag-anohors Is
left pendent; but the octopus usually
draws them close alongside, whence
they extend in horizontal position, ac-
ting the part of tail to Kite. 1t pro-
pels itself by drawing in and expelling
water through its locomotive tube. The
octopus swims backward, and it has
been remarked that il changes its color
to darker hue when it starts out for =
swim. This change of hue, apparently
at will, is one of the most peculiar cha
racteristics of the octopus. IL may be
considered the chamleon of the SCI.
Its ordinary color when in repOse is
mottled brown; but if irritIted it as
sumes redish hue, approaching to pur-
pie. Nature seems to have been almost
superfiuo careful in furnishing this
animal with protecting elements; for
this coloring matter, which resides be-
tween the inner and outer skin, enables
it even to assume the color of the
ground or rocks over which it travels,
so that one can hardly say what color
it is before it may have changed TO
something quite different. When ex-
hausted after battle or a struggle to
get out Of trap, it turns pale like hu-
man being. Others besides Victor HUI
90 have had chance to test the
strength of these devil fishes. Major
Newsome, K. E., when stationed on the
east coast of Africn in 1851, under
took to bathc in a pool of water left by
the retiring waves. He says: 'As l
swan from one end to the other, / was
horriHed at feeling something around
my ankle, and made for the side as
| 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 fleshy and slip
perry substance under me. l was, L
confess, alarmed: and SO apparently
was the beast on which l 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 octopus holding to rock is not
less than thirty pounds, while the float-
ing power CT man is between five and
/ six pounds, believe if had not kept
in mid channel it would have been q
/ llife-and-death struggle between myself
and the beast on my ankle. In the open
water l was the best man; but near the
bottom or sides, which he could have
reached with his arms, but which L
could rot have reached with mine, he
would certainly have drowned me-"