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The Monsters of the Deef
00 (349) Sphinx devoured of those who have at- were thirty feet in length, and so thi tempted to divine its enigmas, to pierce that a man could scarcely clasp the n. its mysteries! What matters it? The Mention is also made of other animals of work goes on, and goes forward. The the same kind, whose arms measured human eye has penetrated that formidable from seventy-five to one hundred and night. twenty feet! Finally, the celebrated Exploring the shores of the seas, their "kraken," which has been the theme of surface, and abysses, we see developed so many romances, was of no less a girth the prodigous series of beings which in- in its upper portion than half a league, habit them: fantastic plants; rudimen- and would have capsized the largest vestary animals scarcely distinguishable from sels, had not their crews severed the arms plants; microscopical creatures which with which it held them. The truth is, swarm in incalculable myriads, agitate, that in the Pacific Ocean a species does labor, and multiply-mollusks, crusta- exist of enormous development. ceans, fish, reptiles, gigantic amphibians, even birds; for among the winged race One of the most eminent of modern there are hundreds of species which be- naturalists, Ehrenberg, has communicated long to the marine not less than to the to the Berlin Academy of Sciences some aërial world. observations well deserving notice. His The ocean is ploughed in every direc- paper relates to soundings made on the tion, excavated in its depths and explored Greenland coast by the English ship by man, and exercising a powerful influ- Bull-dog. He says the accounts given ence on the progress of science and civili- strikingly accord with the old legends that tell of marine monsters living at the bottom of the sea, and enveloping with their zation.
A Frightful Sea Monster.
The Gigantic Octopus.
No forms of life on our globe are more arms all things that approach them. calculated to awaken surprise than those What Pliny says of enormous polypi which are found in the mysterious depths thirty feet long, and weighing seven hunof the ocean, strange stories and descrip- dred pounds, has been regarded as an extions of which have come to our notice. aggeration. But an immense creature Many wondrous tales are on record of was captured which might be called gigantic polypi, living in the polar and "whale-slayer," for it was taken while tropical seas; fierce and redoubtable mon- engaged in a struggle with one of these sters, of size and strength sufficient to giants of the sea. Some portions of the overcome and devour the largest whales, body of this gigantic polypus are preand consequently, far more easily able to served in the Copenhagen Museum. destroy any unfortunate mariner who may have fallen overboard, or incautious swimmer who ventures to sport in the waters frequented by them.
We cannot, therefore, doubt that the depths of the sea, where vegetables flourish eight hundred feet in length, are also peopled with monstrous animals, whose Accounts are given of monstrous crea- organism is adapted to these unknown tures, capable of entangling ships, and of regions, whence they but rarely emerge. seizing with their arms not only men, but Their very rare appearances have formed even whales of huge dimensions. Men- the basis of the mysterious traditions tion is made of a monster whose arms which, for two thousand years, have been transmitted from generation to genera- counting the eight formidable arms tion of mariners, and which have given covered with air holes, that encircled its birth to the fantastic creations of the head. Its color was a brick red; its eyes, "kraken" and the sea-serpent. placed level with the top of its head, Almost simultaneously with the ap- were prodigiously developed, and glared pearance of Ehrenberg's paper, Berthelot, with a frightful fixedness. Its mouth was the French Consul at Teneriffe, minutely like a parrot's beak. Its body, much related an encounter with a gigantic swollen towards the centre, presented an polypus, in the open sea. On the 2d of enormous mass, whose weight might be IMMENSE POLYPUS MET BY THE STEAMSHIP "ALECTO."
