Giant Devil Fish on Exhibit at Local Museum
A garbled fragment describing a captured octopus put on display at a local museum, marveled at for its size, color and grip — a small window into how Victorian audiences gawked at sea monsters.
NewsPipe summary
The Evening World · December 14, 1888 · Page 1
1 min read[…] Evailed, and now it is on exhibition at the museum of Mr. Collins, corner of Third and Marion streets. No fabulous work of ancient sculpture or deified image of the idolator ever presented a more hideous or awful aspect than this immense devil fish, now an acquisition to the marine collection of one of our established museums.
This fish is indeed a study in itself, and may perhaps be a puzzle to the naturalist. Its motley appearance, with spots of pink and purple, its eight long arms, each with about two hundred suckers, the formidable appearance of its mouth and its glaring eyes, make this fish an object which may well be said to be awe inspiring.
The strength of its arms is enormous, and when it lays hold of its prey its suckers at once fasten a deathly grip upon its victim. In fact, this octopus is a deep study for the naturalist, and a rare sight worth beholding by both the citizen and the tourist.
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