212 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [2] 



long- familiar with them, aud occasionally to have captured and used 

 them for bait. The whalemen ha*re also repeatedly stated that sperm- 

 whales feed upon huge squid, and that, when wounded, they often vomit 

 large fragments of them, in such a condition as to be recognizable.* 



I have somewhere seen a statement to the effect that a huge squid of 

 this kind was cast ashore, many years ago (in the last century, I believe), 

 at the Island of St. Pierre, near Newfoundland, but have forgotten the 

 authority for the statement. 



The first reliable account, known to me, of specimens actually taken in 

 American waters by our fishermen and whalemen was published by Dr. 

 A. S. Packard, in 1S73. t In that article Dr. Packard described a por- 

 tion of a jaw from a large specimen (our No. 1) taken by the Gloucester 

 fishermen on the Grand Banks, and a very large pair of jaws taken 

 from the stomach of a sperm-whale (our No. 10). Soon after this, in 

 1873, a large living specimen (our No. 2) was encountered by Theophi- 

 lus Picott and another fisherman, in Conception Bay, and one of the 

 tentacular arms which they secured was preserved in the geological mu- 

 seum at Saint John's, Newfoundland, by the Rev. M. Harvey and Mr. 

 Alexander Murray. Both these gentlemen wrote good and interesting 

 accounts of this specimen, which were extensively copied in the maga- 

 zines and newspapers, while a photograph of the arm itself was also 

 secured and distributed. 



This important addition to our knowledge of these creatures was 

 followed, about two weeks later, by the capture of a nearly perfect speci- 

 men (our No. 5) of the same species, near Saint John's. Mr. Harvey 

 and Mr. Murray likewise secured this specimen, and published detailed 

 accounts of it, which gave a more accurate idea of the character of the 

 genus and species than had any previous descriptions. 



My own attention was specially directed to these large Cephalopods, 

 at that time, on account of being so fortunate as to secure for study 

 most of the preserved portions of all the specimens referred to above, 

 with some additional ones, detailed below. For these very interesting 

 specimens I am especially indebted to the zeal and kindness of the 

 Bev. M. Harvey and to Prof. S. F. Baird. To Dr. A. S. Packard I am 

 indebted for the use of the jaws of No. 10. Mr. Pourtales, curator of 

 the Museum of Comparative Zoology, has also kindly sent the specimens 

 belonging to that museum, and Mr. W. H. Dall has contributed his speci- 

 mens and drawings of a species from Alaska. Special acknowledg- 

 ments to others will be found in connection with the descriptions of the 

 specimens. 



Although I have, in several former papers, f given details of the time 



* See Maury's Sailing Directions. Also articles by N. S. Shaler, American Naturalist, 

 vol. vii, p. 3, 1373; by Dr. Packard, op. cit., p. 90; and by Mr. W. H. Dall, op. cit., 

 p. 484. 



t American Naturalist, vol. vii, p. 91, February. 1873. 



t American Jour. Science, vol. vii, p. 158, Feb., 1874; vol. ix, pp. 123, 177, Plates 

 II- V, 1875; vol. x, p. 213, Sept., 1875; vol. xii, p. 236,1876; vol. xiv, p. 425, Nov., 



