8 



HARUWICKE'S SCIEN CE-GOSSIP. 



and retain the same juxta-position to a horny pen, 

 which the ink-bag of the recent Loligo bears to the 

 pen within the body of that animal. The state of 

 preservation of the pens is such as to admit of a 

 close comparison of their internal structure with 

 that of the present living Loligo. Similar remains 

 of the pens and ink-bags of animals of this genus 

 are frequently found in the Lias shale of Aalen and 

 Boll, in Germany, Tiie Squid is the animal used for 

 bait iu the Newfoundland cod-Gsheries, and is also 

 occasionally used for the same purpose by the fisher- 

 men on our own coasts. Tlie manner in which it is 

 caught is as follows : — A party of sailors go out in 

 boats to a place the Squid is known to frequent, 

 armed with an instrument know as a " Squid-jigger." 

 This consists of a number of large hooks fastened 

 together so as to form a circular chevaux defrise. 

 To catch the Sc^uid, this weapon is fastened to a line, 

 and dropped in the water without any bait, but by 

 giving it a continuous up-and-down motion, all the 

 Squids that come near are hooked and secured. On 

 being brought to the surface, they discharge a 

 torrent of ink, so that to avoid being deluged with 

 the black stream, a little dexterity is needed. The 

 Loligo has sets of suckers arranged in two rows 

 along its arms, as the Octopus ; the suckers on the 

 extremities of the tentacles are situated in fours. 

 This is a well-distributed genus, being found in the 

 Atlantic, Mediterranean, North Seas, and the 

 Southern Ocean. Of another genus, Sepiola, an 

 abundant little species is found in our common 

 Se])iola {Sepiola ailaniica). In this cuttle the body 

 is short and dumpy, furnished with two compara- 

 tively large-sized fins situated diametrically oppo- 

 site one another on the sides of the animal. The 

 pen is very similar to that of the Loligo. Gosse, 

 in his valuable work on the aquarium, gives a vivid 

 description of this animal, portraying in the most 

 lively terms the various evolutions it is seen to per- 

 form when kept captive in an aquarium. A striking 

 feature iu the animal is the propensity it has for 

 burrowing ; by directing its funnel towards the 

 sand, and then expelling the water from its gills, it 

 scoops out, in the most perfect manner, a small 

 hollow, where it snugly ensconces itself, leaving but 

 little of its body visible. 



Passing over several other genera, we come to 

 the Onychoteuthis (civug, onyx, a claw, and rtvQiq, 

 teuthis, a calamary) or uncinated calamary. This 

 formidable genus, in addition to the suckers on its 

 arms, is furnished with a terrible set of horuy 

 hooks on the expanded extremities of its long 

 tentacles. By means of these hooks it is better 

 able to retain its hold on fishes, as, from the slimy 

 nature of their scales, it would frequently be diffi- 

 cult to get the suckers into action. As if not 

 sufficiently armed with its suckers and hooks, this 

 calamary is also furnished with an adhesive disc, 

 immediately below the hooks on the tentacles ; and 



by bringing these two discs together they become 

 firmly locked. The victim once embraced by these 

 has no hope of escape left, and is pressed against 

 the jaws of its destroyer by means of the arms. 

 The next genus, Enoploteuthis {tvonXog, enoplos, 

 armed, and nvdic), is a still more formidable one, 

 for in it all the arms are furnished with hooks. 

 Professor Owen says that the natives of the Poly- 

 nesian Islands live in great dread of cuttles of this 

 genus. One species found dead there by Sir Joseph 

 Banks, measured over six feet in length. One arm 

 of this identical calamary is still preserved in the 

 museum of the College of Surgeons, where it may 

 be inspected. Another genus, Ommastrephes {puna, 

 omma, the eye, and otjjs^w, strepho, to turn), much 

 resembles the Octopus in general form. The eyes 

 are very conspicuous, and the arms welded together 

 up a considerable part. Animals of this genus, as 

 well as those of Loligo, are used in the cod-fisheries. 

 The former have the power of leaping a great 

 height out of the water. Mr. P. D. Bennet men- 

 tions that these calamaries were very numerous in 

 the vicinity of the Sandwich Islands, where they 

 are extensively i.used as food, their flesh having 

 somewhat the flavour of a lobster, and being con- 

 sidered a delicacy. In that locality the Flying-fish 

 and this Calamary were most plentiful during a 

 calm, when they were seen leaping out of the water. 

 The fate of the Ommastrephes appears to be some- 

 what similar to that of the Flying-fish ; for whilst 

 leaping out of the water to escape their aquatic 

 pursuers, they fall a prey to birds, who diligently 

 watch for an opportunity to seize them when out 

 of their native element. Some few, being thus 

 pursued, leapt up to a considerable height above 

 the bulwarks of the ship in which Mr. Bennet was, 

 and fell on the deck. Having now examined a few 

 of the genera of the Teuthidm, we proceed to the 

 next family, the Belemnitidce . This family is pro- 

 bably better known to our geological than to our 

 conchological friends, as no living species exists, 

 and all our information as to it is drawn from 

 fossils. The shell of the Belemnites, which is 

 nearly the only part ever found, was an internal 

 one, somewhat similar to that of the Sepia. In the 

 middle is a sort of cup, termed the alveolus, 

 divided into compartments, which are connected by 

 a tube. The alveolus is protected by a calcareous 

 incrustation (rostrum), rather elongated, whose 

 function was probably to guard the animal from 

 the shocks to which it was exposed as it swam 

 backwards. It is this rostrum which is discovered 

 so very frequently in a fossil state. An interesting 

 article on the Belemnites, by our much-esteemed 

 editor, will be found in the volume of this magazine 

 for 1872. It is embellished with several illustra- 

 tions, which will serve to make their construction 

 more manifest. 

 Leaving the Belemnitidce, we now proceed to 



