INVERTEBRATE ANIMALS OF VINEYARD SOUND, ETC. 441 



found iu isjreat abniulance off Falmontli, on a shelly and woody bottom, 

 as alroady mentioned, (p. 41G ;) and near New llavon li,niit-bouse lari;e 

 clusters, apparently of the same species, were found by Professor Todd, 

 earlier in the season, (June 19.) Some of these masses were six or ei.yht 

 inches iu diameter, consistiui:? of hundreds of capsules, like tig. ]01i, 

 each of which is usually three or four inches long and contains numer- 

 ous eggs. These last contained embryos in different stages of devel- 

 opment, two of which are represented in Plate XX, figs. lO.'J, 104. l^^ven 

 at this early period some of the pigment vesicles are already developed 

 in the mantle and arms, and during life, if examined under the micro- 

 scope, these orange and purple vesicles may be seen to rapidly contract 

 and expand and change colors, as iu the adult, only the phenomena may 

 be more clearly seen, owing to the greater transparency of the skin iu 

 the embryos. They are, therefore, beautiful objects to observe under 

 the microscope. At this stage of development the eyes were brown. 

 In these embryos the yolk is tiually absorbed through tlie mouth, which 

 corresponds, therefore, in this respect, to au " umbilicus.'" The more 

 advanced of these embryos (fig. 103) were capable of swimming about, 

 when removed from the eggs, by means of the jets of water from the 

 siphon. 



Another species, Loligo imllida V., (Plate XX, tigs. 101, 101«,) occurs 

 abundantly, in autumu, in the western part of Long Island Sound, 

 from whence Ilobert Benner, esq., has sent me uumerous speci- 

 mens. This is a pale, translucent, gelatinous-looking species, with much 

 fewer spots than usual, even on the back, and is nearly white beneath* 

 It is a stout species, commonly five or six inches long, exclusive of the 

 arms, but grows considerably larger than that. It is often taken in the 

 seines iu large numbers with menhaden, upon which it probably feeds. 

 These squids are eagerly devoured, even when full grown, by many of 

 the larger fishes, such as blue-fish, black-bass, striped-bass, &c. Wheu 

 young they are preyed upon by a still larger variety of fishes, as well 

 as by the jelly-fishes, &c. 



Another species of " squid," Ommasirephes illecehrosa, has beenrecorded 

 from Greenport, Long Island, by Mr. Sanderson Smith, but I have not met 

 with it myself, south of Cape Cod. It is common in Massachusetts Bay 

 and very abundant in the Bay of Fundy. Messrs. S. I. Smith and Oscar 

 Harger observed it at Provincetown, Massachusetts, among the wharves, 

 in large numbers, July 28, engaged iu capturing and devouring the 

 young mackerel, which were swimming about in " schools," and at that 

 time were about four or five inches long. In attacking the mackerel they 

 would suddenly dart backward among the fish with the velocity of au 

 arrow, and as suddenly turn obliquely to the right or left and seize a fish, 

 which was almost instantly killed by a bite in the back of the neck with 

 the shari) beaks. The bite was always made in the same place, cut- 

 ting out a triangular piece of flesh, and was deep enough to penetrate 

 to the spinal cord. The attacks were not always successful, and were 



