This is a watercolour sketch by William Lionel Wyllie. It depicts an octopus on the sea bed. The octopus has been depicted in detail. Its head is tilted back and its eyes are at the top of its body. The octopus sits on its tentacles which are curled beneath its revealing suckers, its two front tentacles are outstretched. The tentacles nearest the viewer are curled up so the suckers are clearly visible. The octopus is sitting on the sea bed. Wyllie has used a mix of yellow and grey hues to depict the sand and brown to indicate a rock behind the octopus. The octopus has been rendered in yellow and white grey. Grey marks on a white background show the pattern of the octopus. The areas around the eyes and suckers are dark grey and yellow. The suckers are depicted as white disks. Black patches beneath the octopus are indicative of shadow.

Study for Wyllie's oil painting 'Davy Jones's Locker', completed in 1890 (Museum no. ZBA5055).