LOLIGO. 229 



combiner! contour is heart-shaped above. The head is short, 

 very prominent in the region of the eyes, and is crowned 

 with rather short lanceolate, very unequal arms, provided 

 with double rows of suckers. These arms are very much 

 squared at their edges. The tentacular arms are short in 

 proportion to the length of the body ; on their lanceolate 

 extremities there are two rows of large suckers, and two 

 rows of smaller ones outside. The mouth is surrounded 

 by an angulated membrane. Specimens in our possession 

 measure five inches and a half in length, more than half 

 the entire length of the animal being in front of the upper 

 union of the fins with the body. It is a transparent and 

 glassy creature, when alive, speckled with dots of red or 

 purple. The pen is lanceolate, narrowing above. 



Mr. Alder has lately obtained several specimens from 

 the Menai Straits (whence our examples had been dredged 

 by Mr. M'Andrew), and through the kindness of Miss 

 Hu&hes was enabled to observe them in fine condi- 



© 



tion when alive. He informs us that "they are very 

 lively and active animals, swimming forwards and back- 

 wards at pleasure, the latter by means of the funnel, the 

 former by the fins. They seldom or never show their 

 tentacular arms when swimming - , but when thev rest in an 

 inverted position, adhering by their suckers, they throw 

 out their tentacles as additional anchors. 1 ' Specimens 

 three inches in length, looked when alive not unlike a large 

 shrimp. 



Besides the locality abovementioned, where they appear 

 to be not uncommon, this pretty squid is taken on the coast 

 of Northumberland, but rarely, and has recently been caught 

 at Peterhead, on the east coast of Scotland, by Mr. Peach. 

 Dr. Ball and Mr. W. Thompson have taken it in both the 

 north and south of Ireland. 



