Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1894-11-30
THE OCTOPUS.
AN UNCANNY DIcNIzEN OF THE
OCEANS DEPTHS.
Species and Characteristics of the DC
topus-IIo,v He IS Captured In
California Waters--A Dam
gcrous Foe.
r n UNITING tho tloyil-flsh is por.

GO" "h NStoPuS uuuSiuD III OuC OI Iuc
markets, and, seized with the desire to
see the capture of such creature, fol-
lowed it up and engaged tho Portu-
guese fishermen to take him to the
locality, not far from the Golden Gate
The amateur fisherman was provided
with MI ordinary boat-hook, which he
was told was used in tho capture of
tho fish, and when tho tide was we'll
out he WAS taken to group of kelp-
covered rocks and informed that the
game was waiting to be flushed, as it
were.
The place abounded in pools in
which tho water was about foot deep,
these being partially covered with
iiontlnS weed. Passing from rock to
rock the hunter thrust his hook or
spear, turning up the sand at the bot
tom of these pools. We had nearly
given up the chase when his bout hook
gave violent wrench under his hands,
and up from tho weed cumo nh I'M
canny arm of livid and chocolate hues,
q finger trembling with rage and MP
parcntly endowed with intelligence;
IL finger lined with enormous suckers,
that hurled itself about the squid hun
tcr's leg so quickly that before he could
mako an aggressive move he was in the
nrms of the enemy.
As he fell. slipping partly on his
back, he was Mortified to find that his
prey held OH and that he had pulled it
partly out of water. Struggling TO his
feet, he was met by what appeared to
be ball of snakes, head of Mcdusa,
with two green eyes cleaning with
rage and fury, nnd about which with
cd eight sucker-lincd arms.
ltwas enough to demoralizc the most
intrepid lover of sport, but the octopus
merely hung on, making no advance.
Having gained his footing, the hunter
took the boot-hook by tho end and
buried it in the writhing mass, from
which immediately an inky fluid poured
and seemed to dye tho water blucl
Waves of color shot over the arms, and
The monster, raisiry itself out of the
pool. endcavored to haul its way to the
ocean. 1t threw its long arms into
every. crevice, winding them about tho
rock and holding on with the tenacity
of iron, gradually moving toward the
water.
The body was but small part of
the affair, perhaps MS large IFS childs
head, and i'll this tue hook was caught.
The octopus slowly gained ground,
but finally the fisherman obtained n
bracing vantage and held Lack, shout
ing for help. With assistance the ami
NAL was disabled and horne inshoro,
where it was found to have ralinl
spread of nearly eighteen feet.
The writer once saw m octopus with
n spread of but four feet throw down
n man who, with others, had been lift
ing rocks into II boat from reef,
carrying it ashore to save the speci-
mems found upon them. AS n piece
was thrown upon the beach u big
greenish- brown octopus came out and
started for the water, ut which the
man in question, who was barefooted,
gave it kick. Like n flash the ani.
nal resented the insult by throwing
its eight Suckerlined arms about its
opponent clasping him in an embrace
that held his legs together so tightly
That ho fell headlong on the sand,
shouting for help and fearing to touch
the animal with his hands to tear it
of. He WAS released only when one
of the men inserted knife beneath
the COTS and severed the snake-likc
arms.
To show the strength of large one
taken at Kings Island it was landed
in net, and after great difficulty Sc
cured by party of six men, who, by
wrapping pieces of sacking around
their hands to protect them from the
suckers, each took an arm and walked
away, but the octopus writhcd like n
snake and actually pulled and hauled
them about at will, SO that they had
to exert no little force to prevent the
animal from fastening to them, which
seemed to be its intention.
The strength of the octopus is re-
mnrkablc. The writer has taken scores
of them with the spear, and has known
them to bring up twenty or twenty
five pounds of coral clinging TO it
with their tcntacles, when pulled in,
and these were comparatively small
ones, the body being the size of ones
closed fist. 1t is easy TO imagine what
the strength of large ono might be.
Even the small specimens wcro not
pleasant objects to look upon. They
were usually found snugly ensconced
in dead coral head, looking like n bit
of the bottom, MS they simulated it in
color, only the tremulous motion tell
ing the story. But how quickly this
changed as tho sharp prongs of the
spear struck 1t. Tho whole animal
seemed to come apart and turn into
snakes that startod in every direction,
wriggling. coilins and recoiling,
changes of color following each other
in rapid succession over the body.
| The octopus is found on almost all
coasts where rocky shores abound, but
the California species is the largest
1t is hunted here as mn article of food,
and is much relished by the Portu-
guese. On the Mediterranean it is
equally appreciated. The octopus has
q bag-like body, from which radiate
eight sucker-lincd arms its feet. Be-
tween these is the mouth, armed with