Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-11-05
CATCHING. A DEVIL FISH.
Exciting Experience South Of Island
Of CeyIon.
How the Only Specimen Ever Taken
Alive Was Captured.

We had gone out of the Solidar reefs,
so miles to the south of Ceylon, to cap
ture, if possible, a living specimen of
the octopus, or devil fish, for the Bonn
bay museum. After arriving and an
choring the bark a safe distance
from the reefs we pulled in with
the yawl to look for signs of
the prey we were after. We
had been pulling to and fro over the
reefs when, on the second day of our
search, we came upon spot where the
bed of a channel was almost INSTRUCTED
with the bones of fish and turtles. We
- knew by these signs that we had come
upon the lair of a devil fish, and with
out waiting to make a closer investiga-
ton of the locality we marked the spot
and pulled away for the bark. The
Malabar coast fishermen we had
brought along with us were certain
from the great deposit of bones that the
spot had been the haunt of an octopus
for n long time. and that we should
find him of the largest size. We might
have developed him then and there, as
we had every rason to believe that he
was lat home" in the shallow cave at
the base of big rock, but we had Or
ders not to go too close.
Next morning two boats approached
the rock from opposite sides, and Prof.
Grimshaw, who had charge of the eX-
petition, landed to make a close in
spection. Our approach was made as
silently as possible, and the professor
removed his boots before landing There
was no danger of the octopus running
away if he was there, but we had some
plans to lay in advance. After some
spying about he was located in the cav
ern spoken of, and the professor was
diSnayed at the size of the creature.
He had counted five great tentacles,
and the bulk of the octopus was that OF
n big barrel. 1t was decided that it's
feeding time would be about high wa
ter, and at low water it might come out
to lie on the rocks or swim in the chan
mel. 1t was for low water we waited.
and before the tide had run out we
landed on the rock again and stretched
two large fish nets across it and
weighted them at the corners with
stones to prevent them being carried
away.
In the channel we stretched other
nets. and at dead low water we hauled
Something did The octopus decided TO
take little ramble, and he came down
channel toward our flotilla. When he
reached the net and found his progress
checked he was furious in an instant.
and did just what we hoped he would
do. He seized it and began pulling and
hauling, and in a minute or two he was
all tangled up. For the next quarter of
\, tod To ,~-rn VI l.
bition. No Whale could have made the
fuss that monster did. In ris struggles
he threw water 20 feet high and for so
feet around him. and now and then he
raised an arm high in the air and swept
it around him like a fail, and with the
hands of a giant. The net was of the
strongest material, and when he ceased
to struggle we realized that he was
pretty well tangled UP. We could do
nothing more toward his capture just
then, however, as the tide had turned
and he retreated to his lair, taking the
nets with him and making slow
progress. II we could get him on the
rocks next morning there was n good
chance of his capture.
At s o'clock. next morning. we landed
on the rocks and found the nets all
right. The professor had brought along
a big squirtgun and a large jar of
chloroform, and Wien AL was aady We
made a Gil ~uit q the west ANA got as
near as we dared to the cavern anu
then began rolling stones into it. We
had not been at work over five minutes
when the octopus was routed out. We
first saw one long tentacle shoot out
of the water and clutch the rock above,
and then the creature slowly and Ia
boriously drew itself out. The nes had
been bitten and broken in many places,
but still tangled about him so as to
greatly hamper mis- movements. OF the
five arms, only one was entirely free.
The monster must have, thought the
attack was being made Oh him from
above, for he had no sooner caught
sight of the spread nets than he
went for them in a furious way.
He was of course, still further