The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-30
DEVIL FISHING.
Methods of Capturing the Sea Mon
ster in the Bermudas.

ster in the Bermudas.
New Haven Letter in New York Post.
One Of the most marvellous 81 fishermen
turned out by Yale in many years is Mr..
Clarence Verrill of the senior class of the
Scientific School, and son of the we'll
known Yale professor of the same name.
Mr.. Verrills chief characteristic is his.
love for big and unusual game. He does
moi waste his time angling for brook trout
or trolling the sea for bluefish, but returns
from his periodical excursions with tro-
plies such as the venerable Isaac Walton
never imagined. A short time ago. for
example. he returned to New Haven with
a tempting string of ten or a dozen devil
fish. OF the most up-tO-date octopus brand
measuring anywhere from four TO four
and half feet from tip to tip. Mr. Yer
rill captured these with his own hands
off the Bermuda Islands, and has depos-
tied them for the benefit of science in
the Peabody Museum. Next year he hopes
to spend his vacation in the same way.
He is an expert devil-1sherman, and. un-
like his few rivals who have pursued
The same sport, he catches them alive and
with naked hands, by a method all his
own.
II presume the average civilized citizen
will regard me as a somewhat ghouish in
dividual," said Mr.. Verriil detailing his
experiences, when they learn that | take
delight in this unusual sport The aver
age man associates the devil-hsh with all
that is horrible and mysterious-there is
probably no sea monster that Is more
dreaded or the object of more supersti-
tious awe. l found that the natives of the
Bermuda Islands, where the octopus is
unusually numerous, regard this sea crea-
ture with particular aversion, especially
the negroes. They call him the 'scuttle.'
and no animal Is more dreaded They will
not get within haiing distance of him,
and will avoid all places where he is likely
to be found One of our attendants. 9TH
erwise an intelligent man, would not
touch a pail in which one of our devil
fishes had lain for some time. These ma
tives regarded me and my father, whom
l accompanied as strange and unnatural
creatures, to be avoided almost as much
as the deyiI-hsh himself.
1.-The octop3s is frequently caught with
spear or dredge, but such methods did not
suit our purpose. 1t Is very difficult mat
ter to catch them alive; for they are hard
fighters, land are Likely 10 do you harm I'M
less you keep your wits about you The
sense Of self-preservation is strong, even in
such a social outcast as your octopus. The
difficulties begin early, for only an ex-
perienced devil-fsherman can locate his
prey. They possess some OF. the attributes
of the chameleon, and change color accord
ing to the color of the substance upon
which they rest. The Bermuda Islands.
however, possess this advantage. that the
water Is so transparent that the bottom
can be seen al a depth of thirty or forty
feet. II Is not always easy, however, to de-
tect the devil-fish even though he may be
in sight.
''The first requirement for a devil-fshing
excursion is a bathing suit Pie second is
a fiat-bottomed boat This Is all you need
No bait, no fish line and pole are required.
You have to be very careful in rowing your
boat about, for the devil-hsh Is a very
wary fellow, and vanishes at the least
shadow of an approaching foe. You have
also TO be well posted upon their habits
or haunts, or you may paddle noiselessly
around all day without even as much as
a glimpse of your intended victim. When
you finally reach the spot where you think
the devil-hsh may be. the only thing to do
is TO stop your boat as quietly as you
can and await developments. The novice
will study the water and the bottom OF
the sea, but viii seldom detect the hiding