14 CATALOCfUE OF THE MOLLUSCA 



two of them had changed to red, and others were rapidly under- 

 going the same process. The change of colour in the cuttle fish 

 tribe is well known to naturalists, and we, ourselves, had witness- 

 ed it partially in some of the larger species, but so sudden and 

 complete a change appeared like magic, and we set about ex- 

 amining the process by which it was accomplished. The white in- 

 dividuals, we found, on looking more closely, were covered with 

 minute spots, which appeared black from the concentration of the 

 colouring matter, but at the will of the animal, or some other ex- 

 citing cause with which we are unacquainted, they gradually en- 

 larged until they spread out into circular red blotches, the edges 

 of the adjoining ones nearly touching each other, and thus chang- 

 ing the general colour of the animal to red. By an inverse process 

 the colour was again changed to white ; becoming red and white 

 alternately several times during the day. Unfortunately they 

 did not long survive. The young Sepioloe on first bursting from 

 the egg, appear to have the form and habits of the adult animal, 

 with the exception that the tentacles are then not longer than 

 the surrounding arms. The ink bag contained ink, which was 

 ejected by some of the individuals before dying. 



3. LOLIGO, Lamarck. 

 1. L. VULGARIS, Lam. (Common Calamary). 



Sepia loligo, Penn. Brit. Zool. iv. 53, t. 27, f. 43. 

 LoUgo vulgaris, Johns, in Berw. C. Proc. i. 198. 



Not uncommon, Mr. Hogg states that they are much used 

 for bait by the Hartlepool fishermen, who call them ten-tails. 



The spawn of the Calamary is remarkable on account of its 

 peculiar form and large size in proportion to the animal. A fine 

 specimen of it is preserved in the Newcastle Museum. It con 

 sists of a great number of transparent gelatinous tubes, rounded 

 at one end and attached by the other to the general mass — the 

 whole appearing like an immense bundle of sausages. They are 

 filled with ova, each containing a single embryo. The specimen 

 in the Museum appears to be in the last stage of development, 

 and the young animals may be readily seen through the transpa- 

 rent envelope. 



