3*70 A. E. Verrill — North American Cepludopods. 



One of the largest females (Station 895,) in breeding season and 

 filled with eggs, measures, from Xv^ of dorsal arms to end of body, 

 IVO"'"'; edge of dorsal web to end of body, 90; mantle, beneath, 

 46 ; breadth of body, 55 ; of head, 41 ; length of dorsal arms from 

 beak, 125; of second ])air, J 20; of third pair, 115; of fourth pair, 

 115""". 



When living, the ground-color was usually pale, translucent, blu- 

 ish white, above thickly specked witli light orange-brown and dark 

 purplish brown. Its colors were changeable, but apparently less 

 actively so than in the squids. 



The spermatophores (PI. XXVI, fig. 10, a, b) are remarkably 

 large in proportion to the size of the animal, being from 50 to 75""" in 

 length and 4 to 5""" in diameter. The form is club-shaped, with the 

 narrow portion little longer than the thickened part. They are almost 

 perfectly transparent, and the milk-Avhite, coiled string of sperma- 

 tozoa can be plainly seen in the interior. There is a slender, thread- 

 like filament at each end, that of tlie small end much the longest. 

 When they begin to discharge their contents (as in fig. 10, a), the 

 form changes rapidly. In several instances I have observed these 

 spermatophores escaping from the siphon of recently captured speci- 

 mens, taken at various dates, from July 23 to Sept. 21, at stations 

 138, 161, 163, 223, etc. 



This species was first discovered by the writer, while dredging in 

 1872, on the U. S. steamer "Mosswood," in the Bay of Fuudy, ofi" 

 Eastport, Me., in 75 to 80 fathoms. Although so recently discovered, 

 it proves to have a very extensive range, both geographically and in 

 depth. It is one of the most common and characteristic inhabitants 

 of the bottom, in 100 to 500 fathoms, along our entire coast, from 

 South Carolina to Newfoundland. It was taken in the trawl, by the 

 U. S. Fish Commission, in 1872, 1873, 1874, 1877, 1878, 1879, and 

 1880, in depths ranging from 50 to 500 fathoms, at numerous locali- 

 ties, from oft' Halifax, N. S., and in the Bay of Fundy, to the region 90 

 to 100 miles south of Newport, R. I., where it is common and of large 

 size. It was obtained by Mr. A. Agassiz, on the " Blake," in 1880, at 

 various stations, from N. lat. 41° 34' 30", to 32° 43' 25", in 178 to 

 524 fathoms. 



In November, 1880, it was taken by Lieut. Z. L. Taimer, on the 

 "Fish Hawk," off the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, in 157 to 300 

 fathoms. 



The Gloucester fishei-meu have brought in several s])ecimens from 

 the banks oft* Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. 



