A MONSTER OF THE DEEP.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3671, 30 September 1880, Page 2

A MONSTER OF THE DEEP.

Many interesting facts relating to tba North American giant cattle fish hare : been recently laid by Professor Verrill before the Oonneetieat Academy. The banks of the Newfoundland ooait womld aeem to be the headquarters for time cephlalopods. On* was aeen on the beaoh at lance Core, Trinity Bay, Hill alice and struggling desperately to escape. It was being borne in by a "spring tide" and a high in-shore wind. In its straggles to get off it ploughed up • trenoh or farrow about 30ft long, and of con- •■ siderable depth, by the' stream of water' which it ejected with great force through its syphon. When the tide needed it died. Its body was nearly lift, long, its short arms were 13ft. in length and muoh thicker than a man's thigh, and its tentacular arms were each 33ft. long. Bat this was scarcely more than half the size of a specimen taken- at a place called Thimble Tickle. A fisherman was oat in a boat with two other men.' Not far from the shore they observed some balky { object, and supposing it might be part of . a wreck, they rowed towards it, and to their horror.found themselves close to a huge fish baring large glassy eyes, which . wp.B making desperate efforts to escape,, and churning the water into foam by the motion of its immense arms and tail. It was aground and the tide was ebbing. From the funnel at the back of the head it was ejecting large volumes of water. At times the water thrown out vu as : black as ink. Finding the monster partly disabled, the fishermen - plucked up courage and ventured near enough to ' throw tbe grapnel of their boat, the sharp flukes of which, having barbed points, sank into the soft body. To the grapnel they had attaohed a stout rope, which they earned ashore and tied to a tree. As the cuttle fish found itself moored its straggles .were terrific, and in a dying agony flung its > ten arms wildly about, and as the tide 3 receded it became exhatued and died. It was a splendid specimen, the largest vet actually measured, being 20ft, in length, from its beak to its tail, and with arms upwards of 35(t. long. :