The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-09-27
IT INSPIRES HORROR.

One of the most disagreeable animals of the sea to handle or contemplate is the octopus, The tangle of arms, the snakelike movements, the strange f1eshes of color, the green glttering eyes, are all features that arouse strong feeling of aversion on the part of the observer I have had under ob- servation several octopi at the Santa Catalina aquarium, and it has been in teresting to note the characteristic fea- lures of the various individuals. In small tank were confined three indi- viduals having a radial spread of per- haps IS inches. One affected light yellow hue and was timid, sulking be- hind a rock. Another, of dark reddish cast, was continually f1ourishing it's tentacles, rising and falling on the side of the glass until an observer nick named it the skirt dancer" A third was almost black, and was a vindic- tive fellow, ready at any tie to make an attack. When I introduced my hand into the tank, this octopus would as quick as a flash send out one long attenuated tentacle and coil about it; then if an advance was made it would suddenly release it's hold upon the rock and quickly encompass my hand with it's eight arms, pressing the round serrated disks into the flesh while a tremulous motion would be felt
 l At the first attack of this kind the sensation was one of horror. The hid-
 eous creature f1attened out, assimilat- ing the color of the flesh to marked
 degree and evidently endeavoring to
 smother the hand with it's folds, as the ! tentacles were distended to their ut
 most limit To hold the hand firm
 under such circumstances required some effort, and I confess when it was first attempted, with a Florida speci-
 men. I beat a rapid and decided re-
 treat; but in the latter case I waited | to see if the animals object was to
 bite, knowing that the bill of so small
 a specimen could not make a serious
 wound. But the octopus merely pressed
 it's mouth on the back of my hand, ap-
 parently trying to intimidate the sup posed enemy While fastened to the hand, it still held to the rock, and it
 was with difficulty released. When I
 remained quite, the animal began to creep along like huge spider, but at
 the first movement of my fingers it bounced upon my hand again, envelop-
 ing it in the eight snakelike arms. I l finally twisted out of it's grasp and
 seized it firmly by the body. when it's
 rage became intense. Flushes of color
 passed over it in rapid succession now red, black, yellow and when at the 1 height of it's anger it was mottled and l splashed with black-a frightful crea- l ture It made desperate effort to es- cape, but when released elected cloud 1 of ink, darting off rapidly under it's cov-
 CT. This octopus resented any intrusion l and advanced to the attack at once. l When a strange octopus was placed in
 the tank, although much larger it came 1 out of it's corner without hesitation,
 eyes the newcomer a moment, then in some incomprehensible way hurled it. self at the enemy, and in a second the
 two were rolling over and over in a contest that was amazing to witness.
 The 16 tentacles wound about each
 other with the rapidity of light and
 both animals elected the inky fluid
 from their siphons, They resembled
 a ball of snakes rolling along and
 striking at each other more than any,
 thing else. A close examination of the
 writhng mass showed that the object apparently was to smother the oppo- met, Finally, the newcomer beat a retreat; it was badly wounded and suc-
 cumbed few hours later.
 The octopus is a favorite subject | with popular writers on natural his- tory. and many accounts have been
 written of it's ferocity, which are al
 most invariably denied by naturalists;
 yet am inclined to think that in some
 instances certain individuals are more
 or less pugnacious. I have handled
 scores of them from the gulf of Mexi-
 co and California and observed only one instance-the one cited-where the
 animal deliberately rushed to the at-