106
THE SEAS
*
'
_
ally, the octopus, which possesses only eight arms or
'
tentacles, all
same length.
Within the body is a curious at shell, which serves to
.
support the animal when it is_swimming.
In the Cuttlesh
.
this shell is hard and limy; it is that white object which-we
'
so often nd cast up amongst the drift weed on the sea
'
shore, and which we_put' to such various uses as removing
ink.stains from our ngers and giving to canaries to sh arpen
their beaks upon (Plate 32). _In the squid, however, the
shell is very thin and transparent and is commonly known
by the shermen as a “
pen
”
on‘account of its resemblance
to the old-fashioned quill pen of our ancestors (Plate 32):
Both animals are active swimmers.
Usually they move
'
slowly along by a slight wavy motion of the ns, which run
along the sides of their bodies; but they can also dart
'
rapidly backwards.
To secure the necessary propulsion
they draw water into their body cav—iti‘è‘s-and 'then- squirt -
_
it out with considerable force through an opening under
the head.
'
_
'
'
’
'
Both the .wttlesh and the squid haVe within their
_
bodies a little sac containing a black inky powder.
This is
'
'
the sepia that is used in the manufacture of certain brown
paints.
When alarmed or attacked-by an enemy this ink
'
'
is squirted out into the surrounding Water, where it spreads
o'ut_
a
great dark clo'ud behind which the animal
darts.rapidly away and so eludeS its foe.
This method of
escape is exactly that used by our battleships when they
send outmasses of black smoke to form a smoke screen, '
which
drifts ont between themselves and the enemy and '
so hides their movements.
.
'
In appearance the cuttlesh is Stumpy compared with the
squi‘d, whosebody .is long and tapering and carries a big
triangular .n along its hinder' end (Plate 39). In our
.
coastal waters none of the species that-occur reach “much
-
THE SEAS
*
'
_
ally, the octopus, which possesses only eight arms or
'
tentacles, all
same length.
Within the body is a curious at shell, which serves to
.
support the animal when it is_swimming.
In the Cuttlesh
.
this shell is hard and limy; it is that white object which-we
'
so often nd cast up amongst the drift weed on the sea
'
shore, and which we_put' to such various uses as removing
ink.stains from our ngers and giving to canaries to sh arpen
their beaks upon (Plate 32). _In the squid, however, the
shell is very thin and transparent and is commonly known
by the shermen as a “
pen
”
on‘account of its resemblance
to the old-fashioned quill pen of our ancestors (Plate 32):
Both animals are active swimmers.
Usually they move
'
slowly along by a slight wavy motion of the ns, which run
along the sides of their bodies; but they can also dart
'
rapidly backwards.
To secure the necessary propulsion
they draw water into their body cav—iti‘è‘s-and 'then- squirt -
_
it out with considerable force through an opening under
the head.
'
_
'
'
’
'
Both the .wttlesh and the squid haVe within their
_
bodies a little sac containing a black inky powder.
This is
'
'
the sepia that is used in the manufacture of certain brown
paints.
When alarmed or attacked-by an enemy this ink
'
'
is squirted out into the surrounding Water, where it spreads
o'ut_
a
great dark clo'ud behind which the animal
darts.rapidly away and so eludeS its foe.
This method of
escape is exactly that used by our battleships when they
send outmasses of black smoke to form a smoke screen, '
which
drifts ont between themselves and the enemy and '
so hides their movements.
.
'
In appearance the cuttlesh is Stumpy compared with the
squi‘d, whosebody .is long and tapering and carries a big
triangular .n along its hinder' end (Plate 39). In our
.
coastal waters none of the species that-occur reach “much
-