Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-09
WHAT SOUNDS ARE GOOD FOR
Cutie Fishes and Octopods and the Uses
They Are Put To.


"TNHE LITTLE CUTIE FISH, WHICH
Il swarm in such vast numbers along the
north Atlantic coast, are near cousins to the
giant squids, which grow to sixty feet in length,
and have afforded material for SO many aston
ishing sea yarns" said an ichthyologist to a
STAR writer. ''These small fellows do not often
attain a size Of over twelve inches, but they are
astonishiIgly greedy, even devouring their own
species with the utmost avidity. In a school
Of young macksrel they are often seen dash
ing right and LEFT, biting with their sharp
beaks triangular piece out Of the back II
the neck of each fish and killing at every
snap by severing the spinal cord. At ,ther
times they will drop to the bottom and change
their color to that Of the sand, SO as to become
almost invisible. Then when fish comes by
they dart upon it. Like chameleon, they are
able to alter their hues at will, becoming
almost transparent when swimming in the
water after prey. The mackerel when full
grown take their turn and gobble the cutie
fish voraciously.
I'm fact nearly all Of the fesh-eating crea.
lures that dwell in the ocean feed largely upon
these email squid. Even the whales consume
them by myriads. Their value as bait has
caused them to be used to a great extent for
them IN enormous quantities on the beaches,
when big storms have heaped them along the
shore in windrows When the moon is full
they are apt to be found stranded in great
numbers-a fact attributed to habit they have
OF staring at the light. Inasmuch as they swim
backward this course of proceeding naturally
results In their running on the shore opposite
to the moon. The fishermen take advantage
OF this weakness of theirs by going out in boats
with torches and advancing slowly toward the
beach, when the cutie fish retreat and run
aground. Having got aground a squiJ rarely
gets of again. because it Immediately proceeds
to pump water with all its might out of the
siphon, which Is its locomotive apparatus, and
thus it is driven farther up on lana, usually
discharging Its ink in quantities.
Cutie ilshes of several species. big and little,
are sold in many of the markets of tho world,
particularly in China and Japan. They are
much eaten in Chile Certain kinds, called
octopuses because they have eight arms, are
caught in tho Mediterranean and salted and
picked chiefly for consumption in Greece.
Octopods are slso hunted in Puget sound by
the Indians IN tho coast, who are skilled in
spearlng them from canoes. Often they are
big enough to be dangerous antag
1.-The giant squids or ,alauarics are also eaten.
Ihey are feroclous creatures and it is of them
that SO many stories are told as to their attack
ing boats and even ships. They weigh some
times many thousands of pounds, having two
enormously long tentacles with which to seize
prey and eight shorter ones to hold it, all armed
with enormously powerful suckers. These ami
mails possess an approach to a brain, inclosed
In cartilaginous skull. One of them would
furnish food for frigate.
"Squlds and octopods are brought to the San
Francisco market in considerable quantities
and IN New York city they are sold fresh to
foreign residents. There is no doubt that
their Iiesh is good food, if the consumer is only
able to get over II very natural prejudice
against il. Cutie fish ar g useful il, MANY WAYS
The bone under the skin of the back. which
affords the animal some sort of substitute for
q skeleton, is employed for Gagged birds to
sharpen their beaks upon. 1t is also ground
up into powder for absorbing blots in writing,
Is utilized as an antacide in medicine and is
made an important ingredient in dentifrices
Cutie bones for such purposes are mostly
Obtained from Chinese waters, although they
are also collected floating in the Mediterranean
but no American species affords satisfactory
bones. The blue-black ink which these animals
vent when frightened is dried for commercial
purposes into little cakes which furnish the
sepia of artists. usually much adulterated. This
sepla also enters into the composition OF India
ink"