The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-02-20
MANY 0CTOPUSES.
Countless Hordes Of Than In
vade the Sritish Channel
THE HORRIBLE CREATURES
Have TentacEss that Spread Six
teen Feet and Have
Suction of Several
Norsa Power.

Suction of Several
Horsa Power.
A plague SIS horrrid in lis way as any
Of those from whi,h the ancient Egyp'
tians suffered has asssileGl the south
coast Of England. Countless hordeE
of octopuses-the devil fishes Of Victor
Hugo-have invaded the Eoglish Chan,
mel. snd have svsrncd along the shores
of Devon and Cornwall in such numbers
as to beggar belief. Travelling about
| in msrauding armies, they have we'll.
nigh destroyed the local lobster and
c1a:.fsheries by de7ouring those crus
tsoeaDs whole sale and or. the French
side of the strait, especially in the De-
p.rsmeat Of Finistere, they are thrown
up on the beaches by the sea after
storms in such quantities that their
loatbsome bodies have been gathered
up and removed by hundreds Of cart
loads to prevent them from endanger-
ing the public heslth by rottiDg.
Many of these creatures have spread
Of six feet or more, tho tentscles being
three feet in length and covered with
suckers as big as so cent pieces. But
specimens have been seen very much
greater in size, and Individuals are
known sometimes 60 attain a messure-
ment Ct sixteen feet from arm tip to
arm tip. That the larger ones will
readily attack human beings is we'll
known, the sucking discs with which
the arms are provided holding the vic
tim With force equal to some horse pow.
er. Once fairly embraced by the animal,
there is small chance for the strongest
man, unless he is lucky enough to have
big knife or spear.
The most surprising point about the
plague referred to is that the octopus
has rarely been seen hitherto in British
waters, 50 rarely, indeed, that during
many years psst specimens could only
be obtained for aquaris il. England at
long intervals, aud half a sovereign was
frequently paid for small one alive.
It is very numerous in the Mediterra-
mean, AID ranges as far north as the
south side of the English Channei,
which is its extreme limit ordinarily.
Seemingly the present scourge is due to
series Of hot summers and mild win
tiers, which have encouraged the propa-
CATION Of the disgusting mollusk-by
nature warm water aninlal-and pos
sibly other conditions may have helped
it to multiply in unprecedented mum
bers. It's marked incaease was frss no.
ticed along the French shores in 1893,
and recent investigations go to show
thst, after having exhausted the avsil
able food supply on that side Of the
strait, the cverplus migrated in sWsrms
across the Channel to England.
First there was an abnormal multi
plicstion of the poulps in the neighbor-
hood of the Channel Island and along
the French coast; then came overcroW6-
ing and consequent scarcity OF food,
aud finally armies Of octopcds advanced
across the Chsnnel to The English shore.
Ooe of the first signs fits arrival upon
the shores Of Devon and Cornwall was
the appearsnc Of great numbers Of
crabs which had oeen driven into the
shallow waters by the marauding mol
lusks. The latter enter the traps Of the
fishermen and destroy the Holsters and
crabs which have been caught, and
sometimes the seines are literally bur
dened with the EritG;ng, Iulpy mon
sters.
The female octopus makes her nest in
any sheltered and convenient hollow in
tn, rocks. There she lays her eggs,
which in due time hatch out young &C.
topods. One of the curious phenome-
na incidental to the recent plague has
the finding Of immense numbers Of
minute poulps, not lopg hatched, and
hardly bigger than grains Of rice. Not
much is known IS to their rate Of grow
tn bu5 it is-believed that.tbey DO nos
reach full slzs until they are about 8
years DID,. -.....
The presence of the devil fishes in
such great numbers in the English
Channel being due to the unusual con-
ditions, it is expected that the plague
will not last very long. One severe
winter would probsbly destroy major
ity Of them. Meanwhile, however, de-
vouring immense numbers of oysters as
well as edible crustaoeans, ard scienti-
6c experts have been trying to find
some means whereby the enemy may
be fought. In Plymouth Sound ez-
periments have been made recently in
fishing for the poulps with pots such as
are used in the Mediterranean.
ln the Mediterranean the octopus is
regularly fshed for and used for food.
Plscher-shaped earthern pots are attach.
ed at fixed intervals to long line and
lowered to the bottom, the cord to
which they are fastened being buoyed
at the ends SO that it may be foucd
sgain. Every few days the lice is haul
ed up and tits not uncommon to fad
every one Of the pitchers occupied by a
devil fish. The poulp, being soft
DOQleu auiAal,i II ID al easy piey " WSHJ
enemies, and on this account it eagerly
takes advantage of any suitable shelter.
The jugs, which are not baited IN any
| way, afford ideal places Of concealment,
the octopus occupying the interior and
spreading its tentacles from the mouth.
Hence the Effectiveness of these queer
traps.
The octopus has eight tentacles CT
equal length raidiatiug from its central
mass and armed with suckers. Its hab-
it is to lurk in some dark Granny in the
rocks, waiting for an unwsry 7lotln to
venture within resch. With three or
four of its arms it olings fast to q rock,
while with the remaining tentacles wav.
ing, gliding and feeling about IN the
uotor - keens on tna alert.for prev a