The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1891-10-24
ABOUT THE OCTOPUS.
THE CUTIE FISH STANDS
ALONE AMONG FISHES.
1t Appears Almost Insrnsihio 10 Pain
Its Stomach Is Its Only Vital Part
Monitors With Arms
Thirty Feet Long.


Although dignified by the name OF a
fish. the cutie fish has nothing in
common with the finny inhabitants OF
the sea, save that its existence is
passed beneath the surface of the
water. 1t stands alone apart from all
living creatures, with scarcely point
OF resemblance to any of them. its
nearest relations being. perhaps. the
sea anemones--those lovely inhabit-
ants OF pools among rocks The cutie
fish varies In size from the squid be-
loved by gourmands who dwell on the
shores OF the Mediterranean, TO the
monster octopus who throws his arms
round boats and drags them to the
bottom. Some indeed. in the Indian
seas are reported to grow to size tina.
renders them formidable even to ships.
wrapping them in its embrace and
dragging the sailors from the deck or
shrouds. Bodies have been cast ashore
whose arms have measured thirty feet
In length, and these could we'll pluck
sailor from the deck of ship.
The octopus appears almost inscnsiblc
to pain and the hacking off OF one or
more OF its tentacles does not seem TO
cause it any Inconvenience. Its body
OR rather its stomach-is its only
vital part. and even this must be al
most cut into pieces before it will re-
linquish the hold it has obtained of its
prey. The beak of parrot is the
last thing one would expect to find in
the center of these waving tentacles,
and nature apparently placed it there
as the browning effort in the work of
construction of this monster.
Among birds. beasts and fishes we
may seek in vain for a prototype Of
the octopus. Happily there is every
reason for supposing that the fish
which forms the staple Of the diet of
octopus suffer little in the process Of
destruction. Fish are certainly al
most II not entirely. insensible to pain,
and there is no reason to suppose that
they are gifted with strong powers of
imagination; it may therefore be be-
lieved that although fish may struggle
to escape from the grip of the tentacle,
1t feels no horror and that its doom is
hidden from ii until the savage beak
seizes it. and ut once puts an end to its
existence.
Some of the cutie fish are large
manufacturers OF ink. These instead
OF anchoring themselves to the bottom.
float near the surface, and their chance
of obtaining food would be small were
it not for their power of ejecting ink,
and thus clouding the water and veil
ing themselves from sight--a habit
which also affords them method OF
escape when themselves attacked by
the shark or other formidable enemy.
Seeing that the peculiar variety OF ink
secreted by the cutie fish is OF very
valuable kind, it is somewhat remark
able that no enterprising manufacturer
has as yet taken the matter in hand
and established an aqueous farm for
the breeding and rearing OF cutie fish.
Indian ink and sepia are both so
valuable. says the Sat Evening Post
that such an enterprise ought to pay
handsome profits. and il the oyster
can be cultivated, why not the cutie
fishp 1t would, OF course, be neces-
sary that the retaining walls OF the
gigantic aquarium indicted should be
impervious TO the passing of cutie
fish even in their earliest stage; for
otherwise its proprietors would be
liable very speedily to be indicated as
nuisance by the lodging-house keep
ers and owners OF bathing machines
of the nearest seaside watering places.
But this could doubtless be effected,
and then no argument could be adduc-
ed that the cutie fish should necessar-
lily be a nuisance to the neighbors that
would not equally apply to the wild
beasts at menagerie. In the latter
case one occasionally breaks out and
causes CONSERVATION, and, possibly,
damage, and even il an octopus should
do the same there could be no very
valid ground for complaint. AS the
squid when cooked furnishes some
what gelatinous food not altogether
dissimilar TO calves head, it is proba-
BILE that the flesh OF the larger varie-
ties might be utilized for the manufac-
ture of mock turtle. and another source
OF revenue would. therefore. be open
to their breeders. 1t is clear from
these remarks that the cuttlo fish has
not hitherto received the careful con-
sideration that it deserves, and that
the dislike we feel for its form and
habits has blinded us to the benefits
that might with culture and domestica-