3 



Large squid 20 to 80 cm. long often accompany schools of small squid and feed 

 constantly upon them. The extent to which this habit is carried is indicated 

 by one stomach , - not an exceptional one , - which contained fourteen squid 

 mandibles , several crystalline lenses and many bits of broken pen — the remains 

 of at least seven squid. The size of some of the suckers found in the stomach 

 show that squid devour others nearly or ijuite as large as themselves. It is 

 certain that, in the aquaria, defensive power or abundant food is the only 

 safeguard for a squid against the attacks of others of the same size. Squid often 

 bite off and swallow pieces of eelgrass , but such pieces are not digested since 

 they are found unchanged in the rectum. 



The squid is of considerable economic value since it furnishes a highly 

 esteemed food to the immigrants of the Romanic and Chinese races, and is 

 probably the best bait for line and trawl fishing. A serious drawback to its use 

 as bait is the irregulai'ity of the supply. When large schools of squid are 

 running , hundreds of barrels more than can be sold are taken , but at other 

 times practically none are available. In 1U02, 93,850 pounds of squid, probably 

 all of our species, valued at $ 2,581, were taken in Rhode Island waters, and 

 37,535 pounds valued at $538, were taken in Connecticut, while 5,365,076 

 pounds, probably consisting largely of the "short-finned squid" Ommastrephes , 

 and valued at $25,340, were taken in Massachusetts. (Report, U. S. Bureau 

 of Fisheries, 1904). This difficulty is being overcome by preserving in cold 

 storage the squid taken in excess of immediate wants. Mr. W. I. Atwood of 

 the Consolidated Weir Company has kindly given me the following remarkable 

 figures. In 1901 , 9000 barrels of the "short-finned" squid were frozen by the 

 company for bait: and in 1902, 13,000 barrels were preserved. Considerable 

 quantities of h'ozen squid have been exported. He also estimated that 5000 

 barrels of squid were destroyed in uite day by running ashore. The "short finned 

 squid", Ommastrephes , is used as bait much more than the common squid, 

 partly because it is more abundant than the common squid north of Cape Cod 

 where line fishing is more important, and partly because, being easily taken with 

 hook and line , the supph' is more constant. The squid is indirectly of gi-eat 

 economic value as an important food supply for marketable fish. 



The genus Loligo was described by Lamarck in 1799 and was subsequently 

 restricted by d'ORBiG.w. All of the species included in the genus, (about 40i, 

 are littoral and the genus is cosmopolitan. The species was defined by Lesueur 

 in 18 '21. A good description of the squid, including its gross anatomy, 

 distribution and rate of growth, was published in 1880 by A. E. Verrill in his 

 "Report on the Cephalopoda of the Northeastern Coast of America". A good 



