88 lilUANTK' CEl'HAL<ll'Ul»!>. 



presoiiU'd an I'lioniious imiss. tiic weiglil of whifli has heeii osti- 

 matc'd at uioiv lliaii 4400 pounds. Its litis, siiualfd at tho 

 posterior extrcnuly. wvvv roiiude'd in two Ik'shy lobes and of 

 very large size. 'I'lu' connnandcr of llu' vessel on perceiving it. 

 halted upon his course and made prejia rations for capturing the 

 monster. Guns were charged and harpoons hastily i)rei)ared ; 

 l)ut at the first discharge of the former, the animal dived under 

 the ship and immediately ap[)eared on the other side. Attacked 

 again with har[)Oons, it disappeared two or three times, and. 

 each time that it reascended to the surface, its long arms 

 writhed. The ship followed or arrested its course accoi'ding to 

 the movements of the animal. This chase lasted more than three 

 hours. Till' commander of the Alecton was determined to 

 capture this new kind of enemy; nevertheless he did not dare 

 to lower ;i boat, for a single arm of this cephalo[)od would snllice 

 to overturn it. The harpoons which were launched at it i)cne- 

 trated the tlal)l)y llesh and came out without success; several 

 balls traversed it also unsuccessfully. Nevertheless it received 

 one of them which ai)i)eare(l to wound it l»adly. causing it, to 

 vomit a great (piantity of frothy matter and blood mixed with 

 viscid matter which si)read a strong odor of niiisk. It was at 

 this instant that they succeeded in lassoing ihe animal, but the 

 rope slid along the elaslic body until airesti'il by the liiis. 

 Attempting to haul tlu'ir prize aboai-d. they had already raised 

 the greater part of the animal from tlii' water wlu'ii its enormous 

 weight caused the roi)e to penetrate the tlesh and si'parate the 

 posterior portion of the body — which Avas drawn on board. 

 whilst the rest disappeared in the sea. 



The above is condensed from a letter addressed to M. Mocfuin 

 Tandon, by M. Sabin Hertholet, consul of France, at the Cana- 

 ries, who saw the fragment alluded to, and received the relation 

 of the commandant of the vessel. One of the ollicers made a 

 sketch of this animal, which, in conjunction with tlui description, 

 is considered by Messrs. Crosse and Fisher sullicieiitly exact to 

 warrant them in determining it to belong to a new s|)ecies of 

 Lcjligo. which they name L. Bouyeri. The ligure and descrii)tion 

 show but eight arms, but the elongated form of the body, the 

 proportional shortness (^f the arms and the presence of the i)Os- 



