A. E. Verrill — North American Cephalopods. 283 



■fishes could be caiight. Sometimes, after making seA'eral unsuccess- 

 ful attempts, one of the squids would suddenly drop to the bottom, 

 and, resting upon the sand, would change its color to that of the sand 

 so perfectly as to be almost invisible. In this position it would Avait 

 until the fishes came back, and when they were swimming close to or 

 over the ambuscade, the squid, by a sudden dart, would be pretty 

 sure to secure a fish. Ordinarily, when swimming, they were thickly 

 spotted with red and brown, but when darting among the mackerel 

 they appeared translucent and pale. The mackerel, however, seemed 

 to have learned that the shallow water was the safest for them, and 

 would hug the shore as closely as possible, so that in pursuing them 

 many of the squids became stranded, and perished by hundreds, for 

 when they once touch the shore they begin to pump water from their 

 siphons with great energy, and this usually forces them farther and 

 farther up the beach. At such times they often discharge their ink 

 in large quantities. The attacks on the young mackerel were ob- 

 served mostly at or near high-water, for at other times the mackerel 

 were seldom seen, though the squids were seen swimming about at 

 all hours ; and these attacks were observed both in the day and 

 evening. 



It is probable, from various observations, that this and other 

 species of squids are partially nocturnal in their habits, or at least are 

 more active in the night than in the day. Those that are caught in 

 the pounds and weirs mostly enter in the night, evidently while swim- 

 ming along the shores in ' schools.' They often get aground on the 

 sand-flats at Provincetown, Massachusetts, in the night. On the 

 islands in the Bay of Fundy, even where there are no flats, I have 

 often found them in the morning, stranded on the beaches in immense 

 numbers, especially when there is a full moon, and it is thought by 

 many of the fishermen that this is because, like many other nocturnal 

 animals, they have the habit of turning toward and gazing at a bright 

 light, and since they swim backwards, they get ashore on the beaches 

 opposite the position of the moon. This habit is also sometimes 

 taken advantage of by the fishermen, who capture them for bait for 

 cod-fish ; they go out in dark nights with torches in their boats, and 

 by advancing slowly toward a beach, drive them ashore. 



They ai-e taken in large quantities in nets and pounds, and also by 

 means of 'jigs' thi'own at random into the 'schools' and quickly 

 drawn through them. They are also sometimes taken by lines, ad- 

 hering to the bait used for fishes. 



Trans. Coxx. Acad., Yol. Y. 35 January, 1881. 



