38 OMMATOSTREPHID&. 
cloud of spray, rushing through the water at a tremendous rate. 
The canoe immediately gave ‘chase, and was up again with the 
enemy after three-quarters of a mile. Hanging on the rear of 
the fish, a single arm was attacked in turn, while it took all the 
skill of the men to keep out of the deadly clutch of the suckers. 
The battle thus continued for two hours, and while direct con- 
flict was avoided, the animal was gradually being deprived of its 
offensive weapons. Five miles out on the open Atlantic, in their 
frail canvas craft, the boatmen still slashed away, holding on 
boldly by the stranger, and steadily cutting down his powers. 
By this time the prize was partially subdued, and the curragh 
closed in fairly with the monster. Such as remained of the ten 
great arms slashed around through the air and water in most 
dangerous but unavailing fashion. The trunk of the fish lay 
alongside, fully as long as the canoe, while in its extremity, the 
mutilated animal emitted successive jets of fluid, which darkened 
the sea for fathoms around. The head at last was severed from 
the body, which was unmanageable from its great weight, and 
sank like lead to the bottom of the sea. Of the portions of the 
mollusk taken ashore, two of the great arms are intact, and 
measure 8 feet each in length, and 15 inches round the base. 
The two tentacles attain a length of 30 feet. The mandibles are 
about 4 inches across. The head, devoid of all appendages, 
weighed about 6 stone, and the eyes were about 15 inches in 
diameter. 
It is evident, from the supine condition of this monster, that 
it was very sick or in a dying condition when attacked ; other- 
wise, it would have escaped capture readily by diving. Certain 
exaggerations in the above account are probably due to the 
ignorance rather than invention of the apeot: 
In a further account of this animal,* Mr. A. G. More states 
that : 
The tentacles were 30 feet long when fresh (14 and 17 feet can 
still be madeup from the pickled pieces ),and a short arm measured 
8 feet in length, by 15 inches around the base. The club of the 
tentacle, nearly. 3 feet in length, is occupied in the centre of the 
palm by two rows of large stalked suckers, nearly 1 inch in 
diameter, fourteen in each row ; an alternating row of fourteen 
smaller suckers (4 in. diam.) occupies the margin on each side 
of the palm; these outer suckers had each a denticulated bony 
ring of about twenty-eight teeth, pointing inwards (the rings of 
the larger inner suckers had probably been removed or fallen 
out before the specimens were examined ), Just beneath where 
the large suckers end, there is a cluster of very small ones 
arranged closely in six transverse rows, and the extremity of 

* Annals and Mag, of Nat. Hist., 4th ser., xvi, 123. 
