268 On the Occurrence of another Gigantic Cephalopod. 



A. princeps, there can be very little doubt that they belong to 

 that species ; and if so, the measurements given will be of 

 great importance as affording additional knowledge of the 

 approximate form and proportions of this, the largest known 

 species. 



Note. — In 'The Zoologist,' London, 2nd ser. no. 118, p. 

 4526, July 1875, there is an article entitled, " Notice of a 

 gigantic Cephalopod (Dinoteuthts jproboscideus) , which was 

 stranded at Dingle, in Kerry, two hundred years ago. By 

 A. G. More, F.L.S." The article is chiefly a reprint of the 

 rude popular accounts written at the time of the capture ; and 

 upon these alone Mr. More attempts to found a new genus 

 and species. The one character which he relies upon as of 

 generic value is the power of projecting the beak in the form 

 of a proboscis. But he apparently does not know that this is 

 habitually done by the various common species of Omma- 

 strephes, Loligo, &c, and perhaps by all ten-armed cephalopods. 

 There is no reason to suppose, from the published accounts, 

 that this specimen differed in any way from the Architeuthis 

 monachus. It was described as 19 feet in total length ; the 

 long arms having been mutilated, the part remaining was 11 

 feet long, and as thick as a man's arm ; the short arms varied 

 from 6 to 8 feet in length, and were as thick as a man's leg, 

 and had two rows of large serrated suckers ; the proboscis 

 (buccal mass with beak) was the " size of a man's fist ;" the 

 beak was " like an eagle's, but broader." The whole animal 

 was said to have been as large as a large horse. The measure- 

 ments given indicate a specimen smaller than several of the 

 American examples, and but little, if any, larger than our 

 no. 5, from Logie Bay. 



In the August number of the ' Annals and Magazine of 

 Natural History,' vol. xvi. p. 123, the same writer has briefly 

 described the beak and portions of the tentacles and arms of 

 another specimen, taken off Boffin Island, on the west coast 

 of Ireland, last April. The tentacular arms are said to have 

 been 30 feet long ; the expanded portion 2 feet 9 inches ; the 

 large central suckers nearly 1 inch in diameter, those of the 

 outer rows '5 of an inch ; one short arm is said to have been 

 8 feet long, and 15 inches in circumference at the base, when 

 fresh. 



Mr. More believes this to be distinct from the Newfound- 

 land species, and refers it to A. dux ; but his description agrees 

 closely with the corresponding parts of A. monachus (no. 5), 

 described by me. He appears to be ignorant of my articles 

 on the subject, published in the ' American Journal of 

 Science.' 



