File:Image from page 92 of "Ocean wonders- a companion for the seaside" (1879) (14743326556).jpg

An octopus "running".

Identifier: oceanwonderscomp00damo Title: Ocean wonders: a companion for the seaside Year: 1879 (1870s) Authors: Damon, William Emerson, 1838- Subjects: Marine animals Aquariums Publisher: New York, D. Appleton and company Contributing Library: The Library of Congress Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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Text Appearing Before Image: to callthem, are struggling and twisting in all directions, sometimesbecoming attached to our own arms and twining about them.Those which I caught and handled personally had arms ofremarkable softness and suppleness, so that their contact feltmore like a running liquid upon my flesh than a structural THE OCTOPUS AND ITS CONGENERS. 71 substance ; and, indeed, though so formidable under certaincircumstances, the preponderance of fluidity in their compo-sition may be judged from the fact that I myself saw one,which measured three feet in length by five or six inches inwidth, squeeze or run itself through a crevice not over halfan inch in width! I should have mentioned that if it is desired to preservethe octopus alive, the pressure on the neck should not be toosevere, for that is their vulnerable point; and a person at-tacked by one should never lose time in striving to loosen itsarms, but grasp if possible this portion connecting the headand body, in which way they may be easily killed.

Text Appearing After Image: An Octopus running. In regard to their powers of locomotion upon land, onwhich there has been considerable controversy, I can assurethe reader that I have seen a full-grown octopus at the Ber-mudas spring up out of the water, only a few feet forwardof the boat I was in, and run up a perpendicular rocky clifffor more than two hundred feet! This ledge of rock bore ageneral resemblance to our Hudson River Palisades at theirsteepest portion. We soon learned the cause of this seem-ingly strange performance, when we discovered one of thosebeautiful bright-red crabs, which are native to the locality, 1 This lack of tension probably resulted from my pressure upon the neck. 72 THE OCEAN. trying to escape from the clutches of this devil-fish. Thecrab, being frightened almost ont of its simple wits, had runup the rocks for safety; but its tactics proved sure death inthe end. As to the speed of the octopus, it appeared to meto travel much faster than I could run. At least, I shouldnot care, if un

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