THE CUNNING OCTOPUS

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 9 March 1935, Page 10

THE CUNNING OCTOPUS

OBSERVATION OF HABITS There are few more terrifying inhabitants of land or sea than the octopus. It is very difficult..to observe its habits in its natural surroundings, but naturalists have -collected much valuable information from watching it in captivity in aquariums. The octopus is a mollusc, a cousin of the garden snail and the shellfish on the shores, but with its power of rapid movement, its fierceness, and its carnivorous habits it is dreaded by almost every other creature of the deep. Unlike other molluscs the octopus has good eyesight, and the fact that its eye, which in giant species is over a foot wide, is never closed increases its terrifying appearance. Its eight arms, sometimes more than- 40 feet long, are covered with formidable suckers, which give them a tremendous grip on their prey. The octopus is very cunning and has a remarkable memory. In one aquarium an octopus was seen holding a stone as it watched a seawing open its fan-like shells. Immediately the mollusc had opened them wide the oeto. pus inserted tlie stone between the valves, thus preventing the seawing from clapping them together again and proceeded to devour its victim at leisure. Another naturalist kept many an octopus in large wire enclosures under natural conditions in deep rocky gullies. He saw one deliberately kill a rockfish, place it where it would attract passing crabs, and tnen hide itself to await the

J approach of its favourite food. When a crab came near it unrolled an arm and caught its victim by the tip of a tentacle. Scientists in Australia have been making observations. The dark brown eggs, when laid, were hung separately on the wall of the tank, looking like long, narrow bean pods. There they hung for a month, with the mother sitting with her bade to them, her long arms turned over them, while she ejected from her syphon-pipe, nominally used in swimming, a continual stream of fresh water over them, first from one side and then from the other. At the \ end of the month out popped the baby I octopusses, little miniatures or their ] parents, able - to fend for themselves. Their mother, exhausted by her devoted task, collapsed and died. It is not definitely known whether the mother always dies when the young are hatched or -whether the abnormal conditions in an aquarium were the cause of this mother’s death. “Cockney” and Its Meaning 1 According to Camden, the riv er Thames was once called' the Cockney. Therefore a icockney means simply one who lives on the banics of the Thames. Wedgwood suggests "cocker” (to fondle), and says that a cockney, 01 cockeney, is one pampered by city indulgence, in contra-Gistinctlon to rustics hardened by outdoor work. There is, however, a legend, almost t<so good jto be true. A Londoner, who had never I before slept out of sound of Bow Bells, jhad occasion to go into the country, where he was detained all night. He ■ was much disturbed by the lowing of the cattle, tne grunting of the pigs and other sounds of country life, which i he could not understand, and, in particular, was frightened by the crowding of the cock. In the morning, in response to the farmer’s inquiries, he said that the sound of the animals had kept him awake. .just at that moment the cock crow*ed again. The Londoner said: "That’s the one; he’s been neighing like that for hours. Since then Londoners have been called cockneighs, or cockneys. Scalded Milk. I’d always hated scalded milk Until one night at tea I lifted up the cup to drink, And there—what did I see? A fairy carpet on the top, All wrinkled-patterned white, Of fairy curves and daintiness, A thing of such delight. "A fairy carpet on my milk,” I called to mother, "Coipe!” But when she saw- it she just smiled. And said, "It’s only scum!” But now 1 like my milk at tea, I drink it down so quick, Por I might see its owner come To sweep it clean and spick.

Dentist: “Have you seen any small boys, ring my bell and run away?’’Policeman: “They weren’t small boys—they were grown-ups!”