LOLIGO. 



141 



animal to be parasitic did not deem it necessary to mention the 

 characters of its shell, so that I am unable to identify the species 

 with any certainty. 



Family IV. LOLIGINID.E. 



Genus LOLIGO, (Pliny) Lamarck. 



The calamaries are good swimmers ; they are found in all 

 parts of the world. A liassic species is described. Owen men- 

 tions that the pens are sometimes duplicated in old specimens, 

 several being found packed closely, one behind another. The 

 suckers on the margins of the projections of the buccal mem- 

 brane are doubtless additional prehensile organs very useful in 

 assisting in holding the food to the mouth. There appear to be 

 two types of form in the gladius or internal shell ; that in which 

 the wings are expanded, with convex margins, and that in which 

 they are narrow, with nearly straight margins. Dr. J. E. Gray 

 has made two divisions of the first type; those wings which are 

 very broadly expanded falling into the first, those less broad, 

 with consequently more acute apex, into the second. Besides 

 that these divisions are entirely arbitrary as to their limitations, 

 a sexual character is here involved: the females of some species 

 would go into the first division, whilst the males of the same 

 species possess a shell of the second division. Several of Dr. 

 (i ray's species are founded partially on differences in the shape 

 of the gladius. and it may therefore be suspected that he has 

 unnecessarily increased the number of species. Considerable 

 st ress has been laid upon the relative size and form of the fins 

 in discriminating species, as well as some other differences of 

 proportion, which, so far as I have had opportunity of studying 

 from numerous examples from our own coast, are extremely 

 variable; being due to sex, to difference of age, etc. I have 

 grouped together species which appear to me to possess many 

 common, and few and unreliable distinctive characters, and must 

 leave to the future the settlement of their definitive relationships. 



The so-called artificial eyes of the ancient Indian mummies of 

 Arica, Peru, are, according to Tschudi,* the dried eyes of 

 Loligo gigax inserted in lieu of the natural organs. 



* Sitz. K. Akad. Wien., xxxiv, 361, 1850, 



