The Coolidge examiner., 1936-10-23


roundings so perfectly that the crea-
ture becomes practically invisible.
Various tales are related of oc-
topuses attacking persons who at
tempted to prevent then. from re-
turning to the sea. Occasionally, ap-
parently authenticated cases are re-
ported of encounters between divers
and octopuses on the Pacific coast.
Pearl divers in the Pacific islands
tell of fights with octopuses, and
such incidents have strayed into
literature, from Pliny to Victor HUI
go. These are often inaccurate or
exaggerated. In ''Toilers of the Sea"
Hugo describes a fight between
Gilliatt and an octopus which,
though thrilling, is erroneous, and
even the spirited drawing of Gus
tave Dore depicts an octopus unlike
any that ever existed.
Nevertheless, the 28-foot octopus
of the Pacific, or even large exam
pies of the common octopus of Eu-
rope and the West Indies, are for
midable antagonists at bay.
The common octopus is one of
about 200 species belonging to the
order Octopoda. Most of them live
in comparatively shallow water,
about 100 fathoms or less, though
deep-sea octopods are dredged from
time to time. One of the weirdest
of the deep-sea species is Baird's
Octopus Octopus bairdiD, a pale,
bluiSh-gray creature, with gleam-
ing black eyes and elongate, taper
ing soft ''horns" Cor cirrD above
them, ornamented with knobs on
their sides. It's entire body is COW
cred with minute, granular tuber-
cles. AS is usual among octopuses,
the third tenta Gle on the left-hand
side in the male is modified for
sexual purposes. In this species, the
tentacle terminates in spoon
shaped structure with nine trans
verse ridges across it.
Some Strange Species
The fairylike Dancing Octopus
| Octopus bermudensis) of Bermuda
may be seen fitting about in the
| shallow, transparent water among
| the coral reefs. The brown body,
spotted with white, is balanced
| gra cefully upon long, slender ten
tacles. Some of these wave about
like the arms of tiny sprite; others
pirouette upon the sandy bottom,
barely touching it with their tips,
for all the world like ballet dancer
In striking contrast to these spe-
cies, the Umbrella Octopus (Opis-
thoteuthis agassizi, flaps about
through the water, alternately open
ing and closing parasollike mem
brane, thus assisting the siphon,
which propels the animal through
tie oceanic depths by shooting a
stream of water from the mantle
cavity. This peculiar membrane
connects the eight arms almost TO
the tips and, when spread out, is an
efficient animal trap, enfolding with
in its embrace any fish or crustacea
with which it may come in contact.
One of the most remarkable of all
the cephalopods is the Argonaut, or
Paper Nautilus (Argonauta argol.
This delicate creature is so fairylikc
and so beautiful that it seems i'm
possible it should be classed with
the Octopoda, yet the eight arms
and other structural characters be-
tray close relationship. It's most re-
markable feature is the fragile
paper SHELL" or boat" of the fe-
male argonaut, famed in song and
story. In it she was supposed to sail
over tropic seas, unfurling the ex-
panded tips of two of her arms as
sails,
Eggcase of the ArgOnaut
These theories were long ago
proved erroneous, but the truth is
even more marvellous. The ''shelP' is
not a true shell, comparable to that
of other mollusks, for it is not Sc
creted by the mantle. 1t is really
an eggcase, formed between the
oval expansions terminating the first
pair of arms. The arms are held
together, and gradually thin gela-
tinous material appears between
them. This is nodded on the inner
surface of the membranous expan-
sions, and slowly hardens through
exposure to the water to a spiral
papery substance, sculptured with
parallel ridges of most delicate tex
ture. The two halves of the shell are
joined on one margin to form a keel
decorated by double row of brown
knobs spaced to correspond with
the suckers of the arms, by which
they are apparently formed, and by
which they cling to the shell.
The argonaut inserts herself with
in the shell, still holding to the out
side with her embracing arms, and
lays her eggs, suspending them in a
grapelike cluster to the interior of
the spire. She sWims about at the
surface of the sea, nearly sub
merged,