40(5 A. E. Verrill — Mollusea of the JSTeic England Coast. 



considerably exceeds, and is often double their diameter, but varies 

 with the state of contractiou of the arms ; at the base of the arms 

 they diminish in size and become more crowded ; towards the ends 

 they diminish very gradually, finally becoming very small and 

 closely arranged. The web between the arms is very thick, swollen 

 at the base, and on the dorsal side extends more than half the length 

 of the arms; it is successively a little shorter between the lateral 

 arms, and still shorter between the ventral ones. The color of the 

 body and fins in the alcoholic specimens is bluish white, covered 

 with rather large and irregularly arranged specks and spots of pur- 

 plish brown. The same color extends more or less on the head, be- 

 coming paler and more gelatinous or translucent on the web at the 

 base of the arms, through which the dark brown color of the arms 

 can be distinctly seen. The arms, the outer portion of the web, and 

 its entire inner surface are dark chocolate-brown. The suckers are 

 yellowish white, with brown rims. 



Total length, in alcohol, 107™'" ; length of body to gill-opening, 

 25"^"^ ; breadth of body at base of fins, 20™'" ; total breadth across 

 outsti'etched fins, 68""" ; length of fins from base to tip, 24'^'" ; breadth 

 across middle, 9"^'" ; at base, 8""™ ; breadth of head at the eyes, 27'"'" ; 

 across base of arms, SO™™ ; diameter of eyes, 9'""" ; breadth of gill- 

 opening, 8'"™ ; length of siphon, 8'"™ ; length of dorsal arms, 95'"'" ; 

 breadth in middle, 6*7'"'"; diameter of largest suckers, r"™ ; length 

 of the longest cirri, 2""" ; length of second pair, 85'"'" ; third pair, 

 80'""'; ventral pair, 78'""'; extent of web between dorsal arms, 45™'"; 

 between first and second pairs, 42™™ ; between the thii'd and fourth, 

 32'"'". The other specimen of this species has the body and head of 

 nearly the same size, but these parts may be more contracted by the 

 alcohol ; the fins and arms are somewhat longer and larger. The 

 length of one of the fins is 33™™ ; its greatest breadth, H""" ; l)readth 

 across eyes, 27™™; diameter of eye, 8™™; diameter of largest sucker, 

 less than 1™™. 



The sex of the two specimens described above is uncertain. There 

 is no positive appearance of hectocotylization in any of the arms, but 

 in tlie specimen first described the left arm of the second pair has a 

 blunt, pale tip, before which the suckers cease abruptly, yet this is 

 most likely due to the early stages of the reproduction of a new tip. 



Sketches of this species were made by Mr. A. Baldwin, on the 

 steamer, when the specimens first came up and had some life. From 

 his sketches the figures on plate xliii have been made. 



Tn the living state, according to these and other sketches, the fins 



