404 REPOKT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [194] 



lower side of the arm, from the terminal organ to the base. The suck- 

 ers have been partly detached fro'm this arm. 



The suckers of all the arms are moderately large, nearly globular in 

 form, rather numerous ; the first six to ten at the base are nearly in one 

 line, except on the left arm of the sceond pair, and appear to form only a 

 single row; in this part the inner face of the arm is narrow, most so on 

 the right arm of the second pair, aud least on the left arm of the same 

 pair; farther out this face becomes broader and the suckers are in two 

 distinct rows. The suckers are destroyed on the distal portion of all 

 the arms. 



The color of the body and arms is mostly destroyed, but so far as pre- 

 served, is pale pinkish, more or less thickly speckled with distinct red- 

 dish brown spots, most conspicuous at the bases of the arms and above 

 the eyes (elsewhere the color is probably not so well preserved). Length 

 of body, from posterior end to base of arms, 82 mni ; to center of eye, 72; 

 to edge of mantle, beneath, 49 ; to tip of right dorsal arm, 213 ; left, 

 198; to tips of second pair, 200; to tip of right arm of third pair, 173; 

 of left, 197; to tip of right of fourth pair, 187; of left, 178: to edge of 

 web, 110; breadth of body, in middle, 46; breadth of head, across eyes, 

 38 ; breadth of dorsal arms, at base, 8 ; diameter of largest suckers, 3 ; 

 length of spoon-shaped end of right arm of third pair (hectocotylized), 

 35; breadth, 16; length of the rest of arm, to mouth, G5 mm . 



Taken from the stomach of a halibut, 36 miles east from the N. E. 

 light of Sable Island, in 160 to 300 fathoms, by Charles Buckley, of the 

 schooner II. A. Duncan, and presented by him to the U. S. Fish Com- 

 mission, 1879. 



A second, smaller specimen, apparently of this species, was also taken 

 from the stomach of a halibut, from Banquereau, off Nova Scotia, in 150 

 fathoms, and presented to the IT. S. Fish Commission b\ T Capt. Chas. 

 Markuson and crew, of the schooner " Notice ", April, 1880. The latter 

 specimen was, however, in too bad condition to afford any additional 

 characters. 



This species differs from Octopus Bairdii V. aud 0. lentus V., from the 

 same region, in its longer and larger body, and especially in having the 

 basal suckers in a single row. The 'spoon' of the hectocotylized arm is 

 very much larger than in O. Gronlandicus, and considerably larger and 

 flatter and more deeply trilobed at the end than in 0. Bairdii. 



Octopus piscatorum Verrill. — (Fishermen's devil-fish.) 



Octopus piscatarwm Verrill, Amer. Journ. Sci., vol. xviii, p. 470, Dec., 1879; vol. 

 xix. p. 294, Apr., 1880; Trans. Conn. Acad., v, p. 377, pi. 36, figs. 1, 2, 1881. 



Plate XL. figures 1, 1«. 



The body of the female is smooth, depressed, about as broad as long; 

 obtusely rounded posteriorly, not showing any lateral ridges nor dorsal 

 papillae. No cirrus above the eyes. Arms long, rather slender, taper- 

 ing to long, slender, acute tips, the upper ones a little (2.5 mm ) shorter than 



