86 tUOANTTC CEPHALOPODS. 



one could hardly have been less than 10 feet long when perfect, 

 the pen measuring 61 inches. The Or/oymx jmnrfnf.Hti (jabb, 

 which occurs at Sitka abundantly, reaches a length of 10 feet 

 or a radial spread of nearly 28 feet, but the whole mass is much 

 smaller than that of the decapodous cephalopoda of lesser length. 

 In the Octopus above mentioned, the body would not exceed (> 

 inches in diameter and a' foot in length, and the arms attain an 

 extreme tenuity toward their tips. 



There can be no doubt whatever that some cephalopoda in the 

 warmer seas attain an enormous bulk as well as length. Oapt. 

 E. E. Smith, an experienced sperm-whaler, and a careful and 

 intelligent observer, informs me ;hai he has seen portions of 

 "squid" arms vomited up by whales in their death-agony, as 

 large as a "beef-barrel," with suckers on .'hem "as big as a 

 dinner-plate." I have no doubt of the correctness of this state- 

 ment. W. H. BALL, Am. NaturalixL vii. 4S4-. lX7-'>. 



It seems that the celebrated " Kraken " of Denys Monitor; has 

 wand-ered into the Central Pacific Ocean, for Mr. Dall. in the 

 above article, states that Mr. Henry (\. Hanks saw. when on a 

 voyage in a trading schooner among the South Sea Islands, a 

 cuttle-lish. near the surface of the waler. "as large as the 

 schooner! " Mr. Dall naively adds. while 1 this is rather indefi- 

 nite, still it indicates that specimens much larger than any yet 

 recorded may probably exisi in those regions." 



In the " M ittheilungen der Deutschen (Jesellschafi von Yoko- 

 hama. Japan." May. 1ST-"), is an acconn; of a large Ommastrephes 

 found in the Japanese Seas. Its dimensions are: 



Length of body to front edge of mantle, . <; feet. 

 Length of head and neck. . . . . 1 ! , lee! 

 Longest a nn . . . . . ... ('.', feel. 



The Great Gephxdopods of the i\Ti<l<ll<' Atlantic It is to be 

 remarked that Denys Mou! for! relates several combats with 

 gigantic Poulpes encouniered near 1 he African const. 'The 

 positive presence lo-day of these animals in (he same seas, leads 

 one to believe tha! these fables had a foundation in fact. One 

 can see at Sain! Malo. in the chapel of St. Thomas, says our 

 credulous tint nralist . an ex-voto represent ing 1 he danger incurred 



