Miscellaneous. 69 



in the air, which they declare was 10 feet across. They estimate 

 the body to have been (iO feet in length, 5 feet in diameter, of the 

 same shape and colour as the common si^uid ; and they observed 

 that it moved in the same way as the squid, both backwards and 

 forwards. 



One of the arms which they brought ashore was unfortunately 

 destroyed, as they were ignorant of its importance ; but the clergy- 

 man of the village assures me it was 10 inches in diameter and 6 icet 

 in length. The other arm was brought to St. John's, but not before 

 6 feet of it were destroyed. Fortunately I heard of it, and took 

 measures to have it preserved, ilr. Murray (of the Geological Sur- 

 vey) and I afterwards examined it carefully, had it photographed, 

 and immersed in alcohol ; it is now in our Museum. It measured 

 19 feet, is of a pale pink colour, entirely cartilaginous, tough and 

 pliant as leather, and very strong. It is but 3| inches in circum- 

 ference, except towards the extremity, where it broadens like an oar 

 to 6 inches in circumference, and then tapers to a pretty fine point. 

 The under surface of the extremity is covered with suckers to the 

 very point. At the extreme end there is a cluster of small suckers, 

 with fine sharp teeth round their edges, and having a membrane 

 stretched across each. Of these there are about seventy. Then 

 come two rows of very large suckers, the movable disk of each 1:^ 

 inch in diameter, the cartilaginous ring not being denticulated. 

 These are twenty-fom- in number. After these there is another 

 group of suckers, with denticulated edges (similar to the first), and 

 about fifty in number. Along the under surface about forty more 

 smaU suckers are distributed at intervals, making in all about 180 

 suckers on the arm. 



The men estimate that they left about 10 feet of the arm attached 

 to the body of the fish, so that its original length must have been 

 35 feet. 



A clergyman here assures me that when he resided at Lamaline, 

 on the southern coast, in the winter of 1870, the bodies of two 

 cuttles were cast ashore, measuring 40 and 45 feet respectively. 



More than once we have had accounts of gigantic cuttles cast 

 ashore in diiFerent localities ; but not until now have any portions 

 of them been preserved. 



By this mail I send you a photograph of the arm, it is one fourth 

 the original in size. You wUl readily see the suckers at the extre- 

 mity of the arm. The disks of several of the larger ones have been 

 torn off by carelessness on the part of the captors ; a few of them, 

 however, are perfect ; and the smaller ones are not injured. I shall 

 send you also, by this mail, three or four of these suckers which I 

 cut off, the smallest being from the very tip of the extremity and 

 not much larger than a pin's head. 



I shall be glad to hear your opinion of this fish at your earliest 

 convenience. 



It is a great pity one arm was destroyed ; and it is still more to be 

 regretted that we did not get the head of the monster. 



Yours very sincerely, 



M. Hahvey. 



