(!1(!ANTTC Cbll'IIAI.ui'ODS. S3 



tlioir length, went cqni[iletel3' over and beyond it. Seizing liis 

 hatchet with a des[)erate effort, one of the men snceeeded in 

 severing these limbs with a single well-delivered blow; and the 

 creature finding itself worsted, immediately disappeared beneath 

 the waters, leaving in tlie boat its amputated members as a 

 trophy of the terribh- encounter. One of the arms was unfortu- 

 nately destroyed l)ef(>i-e its value was known ; but tlie other, 

 when l)ronglit to St. Joliu's and examined by the Ilev. M. 

 Harvey, was found to measure no less than 19 feet; and the 

 fisherman who acted as surgeon declares there must liaA-e been at 

 least r> feet more of this arm left attached to the monster's 

 l)ody. This separated member ^is described by Mr. Harve}^ as 

 being livid in color and pointed at its extremity, where alone it 

 is covered Avith rows of cartilaginous horny suckers, each about 

 the size of a quarter-dollar. Unfortunately, the fishermen were 

 too much frightened during the short time the adventure lasted 

 to form a reliable opinion of tlie length of the animal's body; 

 under the influence of terror they set it down at 40 feet, an 

 estimate v/hich, notwithstanding the extraordinary dimensions of 

 the arm secured, must be received as a considerable exaggeration.* 



Rev. Mr. Gabriel states that in the winter of 1870-71 two 

 cuttle-fish were stranded on the 1)eaeh near Lamalein, south 

 coast of Newfoundland, whicli measured respectively 40 and 47 

 feet. 



Mr. Murray refers also to n specimen caught at Logia l>:iy, 

 near St. John's, Newfoundland, November, 1873, which measured 

 as follows: Body, 7 feet long; circumference, 5 feet; tail, fan- 

 shaped, pointed at middle extremity, 2 feet ; large arms, (; to 7 

 feet long, and 7 to inches circumference, covered on the lower 

 surface with about 100 denticulated cups ; tentacles, 24 feet long 

 and .'» inches circumference, with the clubs armed with about 

 eiglity denticulated suckers. 



A very i-espectable person informs me that he has seen many 

 of these gigantic squids upon the coast of Labrador; and that 

 he measured the body of one 80 feet from beak to tail. He also 

 states that a certain Mr. Haddon, a school inspector of this place 



'■ W. R. Kent, Zool. Proc, 178, 1S74. Other accounts of tliis animal 

 may l)e found in Am. Naturnlixt, viii, 120, 1874 ; Proc. Post. Sor. N. H., 

 xvi, Ifil, 1S73. 



