In this strange order of molluscs there are dwarfs and giants.  One kind is never more than two inches long, others are vast monsters.  The Octopus is big enough and ugly enough to make one shudder to see him, but the real ogre of the deep is the Giant Cuttle-fish, beside which the Octopus is a tiny mite.

These Giant Cuttles have ten arms, two of them being very long.  The Octopus’s body is round, like that of a fat spider, while the Cuttle has a long body.  The Cuttle has many sharp claws on its arms, besides numbers of big, strong suckers.  It holds and tears its prey at the same time.  Its staring eyes are like big black lanterns on each side of the head.  The head twists this way and that, so that nothing escapes the glare of those horrible eyes.

Lurking in the dark depths of the sea, these Giant Cuttles wait for large fish, Crabs, or even their own relations, to come near.  Like hideous, gigantic Spiders, they are the terror of the ocean caverns.  They are so large that they have few enemies to fear.  Indeed, it is surprising that any animal dares to attack such a monster, but that other giant, the Sperm Whale, dives deep to the home of the Cuttles, purposely to attack and eat them.

The Sperm Whale must attack these big creatures in order to get enough food.  He has such a huge, barn-like body to fill, that only these big Cuttles will satisfy him.  Whale-hunters sometimes catch a glimpse of terrific combats between these giants of the deep.  The Sperm wins the battle, for he is nearly always found to contain great pieces of the ogre’s arms.

Although the Octopus and the Cuttle are related to the Snail and Whelk, they have no shell.  Their bodies are naked.  Neither do they grow a backbone, or skeleton; but, inside the body, the Cuttle has a plate of chalk, which you may find on the shore.  Some kinds have a long strip of transparent substance, like a large feather.  Fishermen use the smaller kinds of Cuttle as bait.  You will find it quite easy to cut out the “beaks” and “bone” for yourself, or the fishermen will not mind saving them for you.

EXERCISES

1.  What is the meaning of the words “mollusc” and “octopus”? 2.  How does the Octopus capture its prey? 3.  How does the Octopus escape its enemies? 4.  What creatures prey on the Cuttle and Octopus?

LESSON VI

THE WHALE

Now and again Whales are washed up on our coasts, and then we can see how huge is this strange monster of the deep.  It is by far the largest of all living animals.  Once on the land it is quite helpless; it cannot regain its home in the waters, and slowly dies.  It is shaped like a fish, and its home is in the sea, so no wonder it has often been called a fish.

If by chance the Whale is held under water, it drowns.  It has no gills, like those of the fish, to take air from the water; it is a mammal, a creature that must breathe the free air just as other mammals.  Nature is full of surprises.  And here she surprises us with a mammal most marvellously fitted to live a fish-like life.