STRANDED MARINE MONSTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2861, 13 January 1909, Page 87

STRANDED MARINE MONSTER.

(Fhom Our Own Correspondent.) CHBISTCHURCH, January 6. A correspondent of the Lyttelton Times writes: — "Stranded on the rooks at Goose Bay, on the Cheviot-Kaikoura coach, road, Mes the body of a huga marine - monster such as we have beem wont to read of in the works cf FiEJik Bullen. The &trange monster has probably been dead several days, the bocy having been not improbably cast up during the rough weather arjd high h>eas that prevailed along the coast about a week ago. It is not a cuttle fish nor an octopus, but more closely resembles vhat I have seen illustrated as representing that powerful enemy of the whale, th« squid. It is dead white in colour throughout the entire length of its body, which in its present shrunken state is about sft in length, its tentacles being a foot or tw<» longer, and having the appearance oi having been damaged at the taps. All the tentacles spring from the hea<d. There are certain orifices in the head, but t*ba eye itself could not be discerned. Tha head is unfortunately all but sev«irec^ frota the body, but is otherwise in a perfect state of preservation."