WAS IT AN OCTOPUS?

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 149, 24 June 1911, Page 8

WAS IT AN OCTOPUS?

"Puzzled" writes: "While out for a run in the launch yesterday just off Orakei we -were surprised to see three long things standing straight up out of the water about 300 yards ahead of us, and going un the same direction as ourselves. After a while they went slowly under, ibut came up again in a minute or so. This continued until we got within about 30 yards <r£ the phenomenon, when it disappeared altogether. The objects that were staking out of the water were just like elephants' trunks fully 4 feet long. We never saw any sign of a body, so couldn't make out what it was. Some few minutes after we had passed the place where the objects had disappeared, we were surprised to see a -&a.rge fish considerably longer than our boat (22ft.) making towards North Head, swimming on top of the water nearly all the while. After guessing all sorts of things we came to the •conclusion that the first object must have been a huge octopus swimming on the surface with three of his feelers in the air. As I have never heard of a-n octopus swimming on the surface before, I wav wondering whether any of your readers had ever seen anything like it. After seeing the large fish which ilookd like a whale, we thought perhaps iit had disturbed the octopus and made it come to the top. Trusting you. can [-enlighten menon jthe. subjects'*