102 Miscellaneous. 



more) with a pair of slender thread-like cirri, about 1 inch long, 

 midway between them. The cirri commence, in a rudimentary 

 form, between the 5th and 6th suckers on the dorsal arms, and be- 

 tween the 7th and 8th on the ventral ones. They cease before the 

 23rd sucker on the dorsal and lateral arms, and before the 22nd on 

 the ventral ones. Near the mouth and beyond tbe last cirri on the 

 free portion of the arms the suckers are more closely arranged. 

 They are small, with a deep cavity. Colour (in alcohol) generally 

 pale, with irregular mottlings and streaks of dull brownish ; inner 

 surface of arms and web toward the base, and membrane around 

 the mouth, deep purplish brown. Length from end of body to base 

 of arms 6*30 inches, length to posterior base of fins 2-50, to ante- 

 rior base 4 ; width across fins 5, in advance of fins 2*70 (not in- 

 cluding lateral membrane), across eyes 1-75, across end of tail 1*20; 

 diameter of eye 1 ; width of fins at base T20, their length 1*75 ; 

 length of arms 13 to 14, portion beyond web 2-5 to 3 ; edge of 

 extended web, between upper arms, about 4, between lateral arms 

 about 8 ; entire circumference of web about 48. 



Taken by Capt. Melvin Gilpatrick and crew, schooner ' Polar 

 Wave/ IS. lat. 43° 54', W. long. 58° 44', on Banquereau, about 30 

 miles east of Sable Island, in 250 fathoms. Presented to the U.S. 

 Pish Commission, Sept. 1879. 



Octopus piscatorum, sp. uov. 



Body of female smootb, 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, tapering to long, slender, acute tips, the upper ones a little 

 (•1 of an inch) shorter than those of the second pair, which are the 

 longest ; the third pair are about \ inch shorter than the second ; 

 the ventral pair about \ inch shorter than the third. In our speci- 

 men all the arms on the right side are somewhat shorter than those 

 on the left, and the web between the 1st and 2nd arms is narrower, 

 due perhaps to recovery from an injury. The suckers are mode- 

 rately large, alternating in two regular rows, except close to the 

 mouth, wliere a few stand nearly in a single line ; about fourteen 

 to sixteen are situated on the part of the arms included within the 

 interbrachial web. The whole number of suckers on one arm is 

 upwards of seventy. The web between the arms, except ventrally, 

 is of about equal width, and scarcely more than one fourth tho 

 length of the arms, measuring from the beak. Between the ventral 

 arms the web is about half as wide as between the lateral. 



Colour of alcoholic specimen deep purplish brown, due to very 

 numerous, crowded, minute specks; eyelids whitish. The front 

 border of mantle beneath, with base of siphon and adjacent parts, 

 is white ; end of siphon brown. Lower side of head and arms 

 lighter than the dorsal side. Total length from posterior end of 

 body to tip of arms, of 1st pair fv20 inches, 2nd pair 6-30, 3rd pair 

 5-75, 4th pair 5-25, to web between dorsal arms 3-25, between 



