Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1902-02-20

the WQOl uldSS WOulu D0 l,UUU 10 l,ZUU
pounds.
Newfoundland is undoubtedly the
home of the giant devilfish. Only a
few weeks ago the sea, after a great
| storm, washed ashore another of those
repulsive creatures near Placentia. X
was quite dead when found by Patrick
Foley, a fisherman of that place, who
wrote the curator of the Colonial muse
UNI, Professor Hawley, F. G. S., giving
a general description of the animal II
some measurements so that he might
be instructed as to what disposition to
make of it. The monster was Is feet
long in the body, the girth of which
was II feet; the tail measured ) feet
across, and the main tentacles extend
cd 81 feet from their junction with the
head. The head was a sort of jellified
mass, in he upper part of which the
eyes were set. ON the lower side was
the mouth, a beaklike protuberance Of
strong bone, both points of he beak
being as sharp as steel needles. The
body was a grayish white mass, round
ed like a barrel or tube, with a trangu-
lar fin or tail. Unfortunately for the in
terests of science Foley's sons, in the
interval between his writing and the
receipt of a reply, cut up the big fish
because Of the offensive Odor.
Another, but smaller, specimen was
captured at Logic bay, three miles
from st. Johns. -Four fishermen were
hauling their herring net when they
e0,.,l Ait, ,or-1cixvo ay.o0t11po in If Tho
struggles of the animal threatened to
burst the net; but, enmeshed as it was,
1t could not get full play. One man,
drawing his sharp fshknife and
watching his chance, stabbed it be-
hind the eyes and, with a deXterous
cut, severed the head, with it's ten
~tentacles, two long and eight short.
from the body. This killed the crea-
ture, and the men brought it to land.
They also went to Dr.. Harvey, who
secured the prize, which filed a horse
cart, for $40. It's body was 8 feet in
length and 6 feet in girth. Its long
tentacles measured "A feet by 3 inches
in circumference; it's shorter ones, 6
feet in length by II inches around; to-
IdI lcllSIu, o. ICCl, tOldl NC4ShC; oOOUS
600 pounds. The t%entacles were tough
and as sinewy as leather ropes, the
under surface being covered with a
double row of suckers. These suckers
are one inch in diameter, with fine,
sharp teeth around their horny edges
and a movable membrane which,
when pressed in an object and retract-
a6 Of fho will of tho animal aIsp1fQC q
Then the sharp teeth sink
into the flesh of the victim, and the
sucker establishes a hold from which
there is no escape save by cutting off
the tentacle or killing the octopus.
Each tentacle has about 200 suckers
and each smaller arm LOO. The total
is about 1900 suckers to each octopus,
and they give an almost resistlesS pow
er to the fish.
A curious thing about this sea YAM
pire is that it moves or travels back
ward usually, though it can prOpel
itself forward like an ordinary fish.
Behind the head is a funnel Of tube,
which is it's instrument of lOcOmOtiOn.
The breathing organs admit he sea
water by Il pair of valves worked by
the muscular dilatatiOn of the body.
When this water has communicated
it's oxygen to the blood, it is expelled
through this tube. By ejecting the
water through the funnel it is enabled
to dash backward with amazing rapid
ity. The tube acts like a hydraulic
engine, and the triangular tail plays
the part Of a front rudder and directs
the way. The ink sac opens into this
tube by a special duct, and from it the
animal can at pleasure squirt out the
black fluid which the sac secretes. The
| octopus can thus instantly enyelOp