MOLLUSCS. 121 



are. however, best known, for which we are indebted to Professor Steenstrup,. 

 Professor Owen, and especially to Professor Verrill. 



These giant forms are closely similar in general appearance to the com- 

 mon squid except that a pair of the arms are much elongated. In size 

 they differ greatly. As yet no perfect specimens have been seen, all of 

 them being more or less injured before measurements were made. New- 

 foundland seems to be their centre and now some thirty specimens have 

 been recorded. The largest of all is thus described by the Rev. Mr. 

 Harvey, of St . Johns : 



" On the second day of November last [1878], Stephen Sherring, a fish- 

 erman residing in Thimble Tickle (Notre Dame Bay), not far from the 

 locality where the other devil-fish was cast ashore, was out in a boat with 

 two other men ; not far from the shore they observed some bulky object, 

 and supposing that it might be part of a wreck, they rowed toward it, and 

 to their horror found themselves close to a huge fish, having large glassy 

 eyes, which was making desperate efforts to escape, and churning the 

 v ater into foam by the motion of its immense arms and tail. It was 

 aground, and the tide was ebbing. From the funnel at the back of its 

 head it was ejecting large volumes of water, this being its method of mov- 

 ing backward, the force of the stream by the reaction of the surrounding 

 medium driving it in the required direction. At times the water from 

 the siphon was black as ink. 



" Finding the monster partially disabled, the fishermen plucked up 

 courage and ventured near enough to throw the grapnel of their boat, the 

 sharp flukes of which, having barbed points, sank into the soft body. To 

 the grapnel they attached a stout rope which they carried ashore and tied 

 to a tree, so as to prevent the fish from going out with the tide. It was a 

 happy thought, for the devil-fish found himself effectually moored to the 

 shore. His struggles were terrific as he flung- Ms ten arms about in his 



Co O 



dying agony. The fishermen took care to keep at a respectful distance 

 from the long tentacles, which ever and anon darted out like great tongues 

 from the central mass. At length it became exhausted, and as tin- water 

 receded, it expired. 



" The fishermen, alas ! knowing no better, proceeded to convert it into 

 dogs' meat. It was a splendid specimen, — the largest yet taken. — the 

 body measuring twenty feet from the beak to the extremity of the tail. 

 It was thus exactly double the size of the New York specimen, and five 

 feet longer than the one taken by Budgell. The circumference of the body 

 was not stated, but one of the arms measured thirty-five feet.' 



The last paragraph describes the fate which has befallen many of these 

 monsters. A specimen caught in Labrador was fifty-two feet in length. 



