334 EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [124] 



lining the palate bears pale yellowish, scattered, stout, not very acute, 

 and but slightly curved teeth, with bases not much enlarged: among 

 these are clusters of small, stony, smoothish granules, often aggregated 

 into masses of considerable size. The gular membrane also bears ag- 

 gregations of small, smoothish, rounded, and angular granules, with 

 others that are larger, oblong, and oval, smooth, and more or less regu- 

 larly arranged. The oesophagus is very long and slender, dark colored. 



Measurements of Histloieuihls Collinsii. 



Tentacular arms, length 



Diameter at base 



Breadth of club, without membrane 



Its membranous border 



Length of club 



Length of the slender tip 



i it' dorsal crest 



Le"ngth of dorsal arm of left side 



Of 1st lateral (2d pair) 



Of 2d lateral (3d pair) 



Of ventral arm 



Breadth of lateral arms at base 



Thickness 



Diameter of eye-opening 



Diameter of head at base of arms 



Breadth of web between arms 



Diameter of largest suckers of tentacular arms 



Millimeters. Inches. 



Taken from the stomach of A lepidosaurus ferox, lat. 42° 49', long. 62° 

 57', off Nova Scotia, by Capt. J. W. Collins and crew of the schooner 

 "Marion," 1879. 



All parts back of the eyes are absent ; the eyes are mutilated, but the 

 specimen is otherwise in excellent preservation, even the web and suck- 

 ers being nearly uninjured. 



In addition to the original specimen, above described, another speci- 

 men, represented by the jaws alone, has been received by the United 

 States Fish Commission from the Gloucester fisheries (lot 843/. This 

 was obtaiued on the Western Bank, off Nova Scotia. 



Another beak was dredged by the " Fish Hawk," at station 893, south 

 of Newport, E. I., in 372 fathoms. 



These jaws agree well in size and all other characters with those of 

 the original specimen (Plate XXIV, fig. 4). 



Family DESMOTEUTHID^E Verrill. 



Trans. Conn. Acad., vol. v, p. 300, Feb., 1881. 



For the reception of the genera Desmoteuthis V. and Taonius St., as 

 defined below, I established this new family, which had previously been 

 confounded with Granchidce and Loligopsidce. 



Body much elongated, pointed posteriorly ; caudal fin narrow, termi- 

 nal, mantle united to neck by a dorsal and two lateral muscular commis- 

 sures. Pen lance-shaped, as long as the mantle, with a long, narrow 

 shaft; blade incurved or hooded posteriorly. (Esophagus and intestine 

 very much elongated. Nidainental glands and oviducts large, symmet- 

 rical. Eyes large, protuberant 5 lids free and simple. No auditory 

 crests. Siphon large, with neither internal valve nor dorsal bridle. 





