406 A. E. Verril—Mollusca of the New England Coast. 
considerably exceeds, and is often double their diameter, but varies 
with the state of contraction of the arms; at the base of the arms 
they diminish in size and become more crowded; towards the ends 
they diminish very gradually, finally becoming very small and 
closely arranged. The web between the arms is very thick, swollen 
at the base, and on the dorsal side extends more than half the length 
of the arms; it is successively a little shorter between the lateral 
arms, and still shorter between the ventral ones. The color of the 
body and fins in the alcoholic specimens is bluish white, covered 
with rather large and irregularly arranged specks and spots of pur- 
plish brown. ‘The same color extends more or less on the head, be- 
coming paler and more gelatinous or translucent on the web at the 
base of the arms, through which the dark brown color of the arms 
can be distinctly seen. The arms, the outer portion of the web, and 
its entire inner surface are dark chocolate-brown. The suckers are 
yellowish white, with brown rims. 
Total length, in alcohol, 107™" ; length of body to gill-opening, 
25™"; breadth of body at base of fins, 20"; total breadth across 
outstretched fins, 68"™; length of fins from base to tip, 24™"; breadth 
across middle, 9"; at base, 8™"; breadth of head at the eyes, 27™™ ; 
across base of arms, 30"; diameter of eyes, 9""; breadth of gill- 
opening, 8""; length of siphon, 8"; length of dorsal arms, 95™™; 
breadth in middle, 6°7™"; diameter of largest suckers, 1™™; length 
of the longest cirri, 2""; length of second pair, 85"™™ ; third pair, 
80™™"; ventral pair, 78"™"; extent of web between dorsal arms, 45™" ; 
between first and second pairs, 42™"; between the third and fourth, 
32™", The other specimen of this species has the body and head of 
nearly the same size, but these parts may be more contracted by the 
alcohol; the fins and arms are somewhat longer and larger. The 
length of one of the fins is 33™"; its greatest breadth, 11™"; breadth 
across eyes, 27™"; diameter of eye, 8"; diameter of largest sucker, 
less than 1™™. 
The sex of the two specimens described above is uncertain. There 
is no positive appearance of hectocotylization in any of the arms, but 
in the specimen first described the left arm of the second pair has a 
blunt, pale tip, before which the suckers cease abruptly, yet this is 
most likely due to the early stages of the reproduction of a new tip. 
Sketches of this species were made by Mr. A. Baldwin, on the 
steamer, when the specimens first came up and had some life. From 
his sketches the figures on plate xliii have been made. 
In the living state, according to these and other sketches, the fins 
