Page:Natural History, Mollusca.djvu/82

70 one of the naked Cephalopods snugly harboured in a recess in the rock. They looked at each other, and the Cuttle, who had his eyes about him, and knew well how to use them, upon seeing the enemy advance, took good aim, and shot so true that he covered the snowy inexpressibles with the contents of his ink-bag, and rendered them unpresentable either in drawing-room or dining-room."

Entangled among the sea-weeds washed up on the sea-beach in the latter part of summer, we occasionally see what at first sight we are ready to take for a bunch of purple grapes. The fisherman indeed calls them sea-grapes, so close is the likeness in colour, size, and aggregation. But if we take the cluster into our hand and examine it, we shall see that their texture is leathery, or somewhat like India-rubber, that the extremity of each berry runs out to a point, and that its base springs from a fleshy cord which clings and entwines irregularly around the marine plants. These berries are the eggs of the Cuttle-fish, and if we were to open the tough skin of one, we should find either the white yolk and clear glaire, or else the infant animal, perhaps fully formed and ready to take advantage of this premature opening of his prison, by darting out, with all his organs perfected and all his wits about him.

The parrot-like beak presents a strong exception to the general softness of this animal; it is so hard, stout, and stony, and moved by such powerful muscles, that the strong shells of bivalves and univalves are not able to resist its force: even the hard and stony limpet is dragged from its attachment, and crushed to pieces in these powerful mandibles.