Octopus is big enough and ugly enough to make one shudder to see him,
but the real ogre of the deep is the Giant Cuttle-fish, beside which the
Octopus is a tiny mite.

These Giant Cuttles have ten arms, two of them being very long. The
Octopus's body is round, like that of a fat spider, while the Cuttle has
a long body. The Cuttle has many sharp claws on its arms, besides
numbers of big, strong suckers. It holds and tears its prey at the same
time. Its staring eyes are like big black lanterns on each side of the
head. The head twists this way and that, so that nothing escapes the
glare of those horrible eyes.

Lurking in the dark depths of the sea, these Giant Cuttles wait for
large fish, Crabs, or even their own relations, to come near. Like
hideous, gigantic Spiders, they are the terror of the ocean caverns.
They are so large that they have few enemies to fear. Indeed, it is
surprising that any animal dares to attack such a monster, but that
other giant, the Sperm Whale, dives deep to the home of the Cuttles,
purposely to attack and eat them.

The Sperm Whale _must_ attack these big creatures in order to get enough
food. He has such a huge, barn-like body to fill, that only these big
Cuttles will satisfy him. Whale-hunters sometimes catch a glimpse of
terrific combats between these giants of the deep. The Sperm wins the
battle, for he is nearly always found to contain great pieces of the
ogre's arms.

Although the Octopus and the Cuttle are related to the Snail and Whelk,
they have no shell. Their bodies are naked. Neither do they grow a
backbone, or skeleton; but, inside the body, the Cuttle has a plate of