Berry. — Gephalopods from the Kermadec Islands. 135 



1910, but only one species, a littoral Polypus, was taken alive. The remain- 

 ing species were only captured by reason of their being wave-bound on the 

 various beaches, more particularly that of Denham Bay ; but nearly all the 

 specimens are nevertheless in a very fair state of preservation. In many 

 instances I found the pallia! chamber to be partially filled with small pebbles 

 and coarse gravel. Except for this trifling circumstance, there is usually 

 Jittle to indicate that the animals were not taken alive, and most of the 

 damage they have suffered appears to be chiefly traceable to the use of 

 formalin as a preserving medium. 



The twenty-four specimens examined represent nine species. These arc- 

 referable to eight genera, only Polypus being represented by more than one 

 type. Four species and one genus appear to be new to the literature. The 

 species which is the type of the new genus has proven to be of so remark- 

 able a character that under the name Nematolampas regalis a brief account 

 of it has already been published elsewhere (Berry, 1913). Another of the 

 new forms is an Abralia which enables us to throw a little new light upon 

 the value and interpretation of several of the characters commonly depended 

 on as important indices in the classification of the group. One of the new 

 Polypi is also of more than ordinary interest. S'> that in spite of its small 

 size this collection is all in all one of the most noteworthy which it has been 

 my good fortune to have for study. 



So far as I can ascertain, no one has recorded any Cephalopods from the 

 Kermadecs in any of the literature, although the " Challenger " Expedition 

 (Hoyle, 1886) obtained Moschites verrucosa, Cirroteuthis meangensis, and the 

 curious Amphitretus pelagicus from very deep water in their immediate 

 vicinity. 



The notes here offered give reasons for considering the relationships of 

 the fauna to lie rather with that of the New Zealand archipelago than with 

 those of either the Tonga or Fiji groups, but the evidence is not so con- 

 clusive but that future investigations may indicate quite differently. 



Fam. AKGONAUTIDAE Cantraine, 1840. 



Genus Argonauta Linne, 1758. 

 Argonauta sp. 



There are two specimens of an Argonauata in the collection (S.S.B. 403), 

 but I am quite uncertain regarding their identification, since, though both 

 are females, neither is accompanied by its characteristic " shell,'' upon 

 which single feature most of the specific distinctions relied upon in this 

 group have been based. The entire genus is in need of a careful revision 

 upon the basis ol a close comparative study of the animals of both sexes. 

 One of the present specimens proved to contain the well-preserved hecto- 

 cotylus of a male within the paliial chamber above the left gill. This organ 

 is so peculiar in some of its characters, and has been descr bed in so few 

 species, that a brief account of it will be added below. 



Unfortunately, A. bottgeri is the only other species with which I have 

 been able to compare the present form. The latter (i.e., the Kermadec 

 form) is a considerably larger species ; the body is shorter, and is more 

 full and ovate, lacking any conspicuous humps or torsions. 



The hectocotylus is an elongate, slightly curved, firm, and fleshy organ 

 of a length of about 35 mm. ; width, 4-5 mm. ; distal 5 mm. sharply 

 recurved and connected with the proximad portion of the arm by a very 



