2 HOYLE, (T Orbigny s figure of OnycJioteutJiis dussuniieri. 



Dr. PfeflTer had been struck with the idea that this 

 specimen might probably throw h'ght on the true nature 

 of LcpidoteutJiis, and I pointed out to him the similarity 

 of his conclusion to that reached by Lonnberg. In fact, 

 as Dr. Pfeffer observed — it seemed as though it might be 

 possible by partial digestion to convert genera of various 

 families into LepidoteutJiis. 



Not long afterwards, on looking over the atlas to 

 Ferussac and d'Orbigiiy's great work (35), I was struck 

 by the figure of OnycJiotejithis diissumieri {PI. 13), the 

 mantle of which is studded over with small tubercles, to 

 all appearance of a precisely similar character. In fact, 

 it would be difficult to describe Dr. Pfeffer's squid more 

 appropriately than in the words used by the French 

 writers regarding their species — " corps finement chagrine 

 par de tres-petits tubercules egaux, tres-rapproches les 

 uns des autres." 



Gray (49, p. 56) placed this species in his genus 

 Ancistroteuthis, on account of the form of the pen, but it 

 does not appear that he had any specimen for examination, 

 basing his conclusion merely on the published figures. 

 No example other than this type has ever, to my know- 

 ledge, been recorded. 



D'Orbigny's statement (155, p. 335) that the drawing 

 is " d'apres nature sur un individu decolore," and his 

 description of the tentacular clubs as " paraissant avoir ^t^ 

 couverts d'au moins trente crochets sur deux lignes 

 alternes " show that post-mortem changes had taken place 

 in his specimen. Hence it seems to me extremely likely 

 that the tubercular ai^pearance is an artificial, not a natural 

 character, and if this be the case it adds a little to the 

 presumption in favour of the accuracy of Dr. Lonnberg's 

 explanation of the constitution of Lcpidotcuthis. 



