40 . K. MITSUKUEI AND S. IKEDA. 



lost their tips. There was also one spear wound on the middle of the 

 dorsal surface of the body. 



Of the gigantic cephalopods, the specimen was, no doubt, one of the 

 smallest, the body, head, and tentacular arjn not measuring together 

 more than 380 cin. {ca. 12.. 5 shaJm). The characters that struck us 

 most at first sight were the great lengths of the arms and tentacles in 

 comparison with the size of the liody, and thf! great thickness of the 

 muscular wall of the mantle. The specimen was ascertained l)y dissec- 

 tion to be a,femalr. 



The Body was conical, presenting when laid flat either on its 

 ventral or dorsal surface, nearly the shape of an isosceles triangle with 

 very long sides (Fig. 1). It tapered to a fine point at the posterior* 

 end. The anterior margin on its dorsal side showed a median broad 

 triangular process which did not, however, become directly continuous 

 with the head. At this place, there were cartilaginous pieces which 

 served to join the head and body together as in Ommastrephef;. The 

 ventral part of the anterior margin of the mantle was gently emarginate, 

 with lateral cartilaginous pieces at the ends of this crescentic notch. 



Length' of the body on the dorsal median line 72 cm.; on the ventral 

 median line, (i9 cm. BreadtJt at the anterior 2:)aUial margin 23.6 cm., 

 other breadths along its lengtJi, as given in Fig. 1. Lateral cartilagin- 

 ous 'pieces : length 7 cm., breadtJi 2.5 cm. Median dorsal cartilaginous 

 jiieces : lengtJi cm., breadth 2.5 cm. TJiichncss of the mantle fesJi 

 2 cm. 



The Fins had, when stretched flat and looked at together, a 

 broad ovate form being attenuated to a point at the posterior end of the 

 body (Fig. 1). 7^9 greatest breadth lay at a level slightly anterior to 

 middle of its length udiich was a little less than half the length of the 

 body. Towards the tip of the body, they became ver}' narrow, though 

 still distinct. Length 28 cm. Greatest breadth 20 cm. 



The Head : — The eyes were relatively large ; the Eye-balls were 



* The head end of the body is here called anterior and the opposite or fin-end 

 posterior ; the siphon-side ventral, and the opposite surface, dorsal. 



