chalk, which you may find on the shore. Some kinds have a long strip of
transparent substance, like a large feather. Fishermen use the smaller
kinds of Cuttle as bait. You will find it quite easy to cut out the
"beaks" and "bone" for yourself, or the fishermen will not mind saving
them for you.


EXERCISES

1. What is the meaning of the words "mollusc" and "octopus"? 2. How does
the Octopus capture its prey? 3. How does the Octopus escape its
enemies? 4. What creatures prey on the Cuttle and Octopus?



LESSON VI

THE WHALE

Now and again Whales are washed up on our coasts, and then we can see
how huge is this strange monster of the deep. It is by far the largest
of all living animals. Once on the land it is quite helpless; it cannot
regain its home in the waters, and slowly dies. It is shaped like a
fish, and its home is in the sea, so no wonder it has often been called
a fish.

If by chance the Whale is held under water, it drowns. It has no gills,
like those of the fish, to take air from the water; it is a mammal, a
creature that must breathe the free air just as other mammals. Nature is
full of surprises. And here she surprises us with a mammal most