A. E. Verrill — North American Cephalopods. 323 



9. It is probable that those specimens which are taken in large 

 quantities, while in breeding condition, during the latter part, of May 

 and in June, having the mantle 175 to 225™™ long in the females 

 and 200 to 275"'"' long in the males, are two years old. 



10. It is probable that the largest individuals taken, with the man- 

 tle 300 to 425'"°' long, are at least three years, and perhaps, in some 

 cases, four years old. The very large specimens generally occur only 

 in small schools and are mostly males. The females that occur with 

 these very large males are often of much smaller size, and may be a 

 year younger than their mates. 



11. When squids of very different sizes occur together, in a school, 

 it generally happens that the larger ones are engaged in devouring 

 the smaller ones, as the contents of their stomachs clearly show. 

 Therefore it is probable that those of similar age keep together in 

 schools for mutual safety. 



12. Among the adult specimens of var. pallida^ taken in autumn, 

 at Astoria, there are several young ones, from 75 to 120'"'° in 

 length, with rudimentary reproductive organs. Tliese may, perhaps, 

 be the young of the year, hatched in June. 



Distribution. 



This species is found along the whole coast, from South Carolina 

 to Massachusetts Bay. 



It is the common, squid from Cape Hatteras to Cape Cod. In 

 Long Island Sound and Vineyard Sound it is very abundant, and is 

 taken in large numbers in the fish-pounds and seines, and used, to 

 a large extent, for bait. It is comparatively scarce, though not rare, 

 north of Cape Cod. The young were trawled by us in many locali- 

 ties, in Mass. Bay, in 1878. Large specimens were taken in the 

 ])Ounds at Provincetown, Mass., August, 1879. It was taken in con- 

 siderable quantities, in breeding condition, in the fish-pounds on Cape 

 Ann, near Gloucester, Mass., May, 1880, [var. horealis). It has not 

 been observed north of Cape Ann. Its southern limit is not known 

 to me, but it appears to have been found on the coast of South Caro- 

 lina. 



In depth, it has occurred from low-water mark to fifty fathoms. 

 The eggs have often been taken by us in the trawl, in great abun- 

 dance, at many localities along the southern shores of New England, 

 in five to twenty-five fathoms. 



It is known to be a very important element in the food-supply of 

 the blue fish, tautog, sea-bass, striped bass, weak-fish, king-fish, and 

 many other of our larger market fishes. 



Teans. Conn. Acad., Vol. V. 40 February, 1881. 



