The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-02-10
LIVING INK BOTTLES.
RESULTS OF A CHEMISTS SEARCH
FOR NoN-coRRoDING INK.
Experiments Made with Animals-secre-
tiOns of the Cutie Fish, Nautilus
and Portuguese DIan-Of-War-
A Remarkable Collection.
PHILADELPHIA Times.j

Philadelphia Tines
sThere Is a demand for ink that will |
not corrode pen, viii run smoothly |
make perfectly distinct line and still be /
indelible, said chemist, pointing to an |
array of small bottles and an equal num- |
Der Of very curious animals, land have !
been experimenting for several years TO |
see what can be done, but it's uphill work.
The animals that find most available as
ink bearers and consequently makers are
confined mainly to the tropics.
"These bottles, said the investigator,
holding up several phials containing inks
of different colors, all contain the natu-
raj ink of various animals. This one that
Is so pure black contains the contents
Of the ink-bags Of cuttle-fishes and is
really the sepla of commerce that was
formerly used much more than at present
This is not all taken from Twins squids
In certain localities fossil SC lids are found
millions of years old and in the center of
the hardened mass will be seen small
black seeming stone, which is the sepia
ink When this is softened ink can be
made from it and is often used. Some
time ago member of the geological sur
vey came to me for one Of these fossil
ink-bags and he used 1t to write his re.
port, that contained description of these
very creatures So their history was
chronicled perhaps, as said before, mill
ions of years after their extinction by the
ink that was their protection then.
"Yes, the ink is used to eject when
they are followed; it surrounds them like
q cloud and while the puTsuer is con-
fused by 1t the willy squid escapes. Each
Of these bottles holds ink from O different
species, representing the octopus, various
squids and the argonaut.
Here is a beautiful blue ink, con,
tinued the speaker, taking up a small
phial in which was a liquid of royal pur5
pie that appeared to gain intensity and
richness in the sunlight that flashed
through the window. II happened to
show this to gentleman in the dry
goods trade the other day, and he offered
me 81, 900 If / would place the color in his
hands in available quantities. No, can't do
&c, and If could 1t would be worth mora
than that, as it is indelible. 1t is the pure
and unadulturated secretion of the little
pelagic snail Janthina. | have seen them
by the CARLOAD on the Florida Keys after
p storm. The entire water edge would be
lined with them. The moment you take
them up and press the foot out comes this
magnificent color. / suppose eight or ten
drops could be obtained from each one.
The shells are about the size of a Scent
piece, extremely fragile, and float upon
the surface, kept up by mass OF bubbles
Of their own making that serves as a raft
to buoy them. The shell is of the SAND
peculiar hue as the ink, and with the
white. silvery bubble attached, as they
rush along over the blue water, they pre-
sent beautiful appearance
"Here, continued the experimenter, as
he took up another bottle, lis almost the
most beautiful blue we can get. It comes
from another southern animal-the ply
Halta, or Portuguese man-of-war. They
are extremely poisonous and hard to man
age, as this dye or ink comes from the
poison tentaoles. In catching it got it
bn my arm and it sank in Ike indelible
Ink, so that for some time I was tattooed
20 all intents and purposes. The ink may
be of use in some way, but it is difficult
TO get and so would be too expensive.
Here is purple ink of dark rich
velvet tint that / found accidentally.
was wading along the reef at low tide
when suddenly / stepped upon something
that seemed to penetrate my feet like !, 600
needles 1 partly fell over, but finally
got into the boat that / was dragging
Along, where found, that had topped
upon an echinus with spines at least eight
inches long. 1t was a most remarkable
creature, q veritable porcupine, and l was
laid up by it for some time. however, I
noticed that each needle-like spine left a
purple stain, and by collecting number
of the animals afterwards obtained this
ink, that if sufficient quantities could be
gotten would be quite valuable. There
are hundreds of varieties of these, and
nearly all give an ink of different color.
Here is one with club spines; they are
used as slate pencils in the south
@The idea of utilizing the coloring mat
ter of shells as ink is not new one; that
Il, of some shells. The ink in this bot
tie. " taking up another containing a rich
purple, "comes from this shell, one of the
Whelbs. Its scientific name is mureX and
of shells OF this genus the famous Tyrian
dye was made. The ancientS gathered in
vast numbers and squeezed the dye out by
various processes. Here is live one. You
see, the slightest touch makes it give out
its peculiar color. At the time of Pliny the
rich robes of the Romans and others were all
dyed and the royal purple has l en- fam
Gus ever since. A friend of mine re-
Gently went over the ruins of Tyre and
examined the very places where the dye
was supposed to be made and the shells
ground up DR.. Wilde, of the Royal
Irish academy, was the original discov-
erer Of the several circular reservoirs cut
In the solid sandstone rock close to the
waters edge. In shape they resemble
large pots, varying In size from two to
eight feet in diameter and from four to
i've In depth. Pliny says that when the
shells were small they were bruised in
rnortars or certain mills, and DR..
Wilde was of the opinion that the res
.ervoirs he discovered were those in which
the dye was obtained. The liquor which
composed the dye is contained in vein
behind the neck.
"This hideous color, concluded the
speaker, is obtained from the coloring
matter exuded from the mouth of the To-
Gust or grasshopper. Here is cochineal
ink made by pounding up these insects
This is drop or two of the porpita,
floating hydroid animal This green
comes from a variety of seaweed ulva,
and. ia fact, / have coloring matter from
5 about every creature that produces it.
Whether any of them are valuable to me
we shall see.
What Economy Is.
TNorristovyn Herald1