Page:The aquarium - an unveiling of the wonders of the deep sea.djvu/111

72 frightened it; it darted about in manifest alarm and excitement, and presently shot forth from its funnel a cloud of inky fluid to a distance of several inches; another and another discharge succeeded in rapid sequence, and it was not for some time that the animal recovered its equanimity. It did not appear to me that this fluid could be of much service to the little creature in the way of concealment; for although the matter was tolerably copious, and densely black, it did not diffuse itself in the water, but remained in masses, and when moved with a stick was drawn into slimy strings.

Perhaps the facts above recorded may not possess to others the novelty that they had to me. Dr. Johnston, in his admirable 'Introduction to Conchology,' has not included any species of Cephalopoda in his enumeration of burrowing Mollusca; nor have I ever read of any that were known to possess the habit. I ought to have said that it takes place to no greater extent than to bring the animal just level with the surface of the sand, which is generally thinly spread over the posterior part. The eyes and the dorsal edge of the mantle are always exposed; and if we carefully heap the sand over these parts, it is in a moment blown away by the action of the funnel, or removed by the undulation of the mantle-edge.

It would be unfair, however, if I were not to allow that the little Sepiole has some unamiable traits. The pretty bright-eyed Robin that so confidingly picks crumbs from the window-sill, sad to say, fights spitefully with his fellows, and eats nasty spiders! And I am sorry to confess that my little pet can be