3592 The Zoologist— July, 1873. 



large squid was caught off the sea-coast of Kessarradzu, in Kad- 

 zuzar. It is fifty feet long, and often harassed the fishermen's 

 boats, drawing them down by its strength. From the olden times 

 until now there has never been seen such a curious thing; there- 

 fore come and see it during the next twenty-three days: it is in an 

 enclosure in Hangoro Morcho Benten. Come and see it." 



On Hearing the place, which was a straw booth erected within a 

 temple's ground, called Bentensama (the usual place for wrestling 

 and other exhibitions), the front ornamented with a representation 

 of the creature having a grand battle with a number of fishermen 

 in boats, and, strange to say, the picture proved to be smaller than 

 the reality. Perceiving a very strong smell of bad fish, I lighted a 

 cigar, and after paying the sum of two tempoes (three half-pence), 

 I entered, and was truly astonished at the sight. The following 

 are the dimensions: — eight feet from root o( arms to the end of the 

 body (body six feet, head two feet) ; four feet in width at the 

 broadest part; six feet the length of the longest pair of arms (of 

 which there are five pairs) ; eight inches the diameter of the eyes. 

 Of the upper mandible of the beak three inches and of the lower 

 some four inches were exposed to view, the remainder being retracted 

 within the head. The arms, which were much shrivelled, were 

 about as thick as a man's arm, and had a quantity of suckers 

 attached to them. I would have counted the number on one arm, 

 but many of them had been detached and taken away by the 

 Japanese visitors. I obtained one : the extremity is shaped like a 

 cup, and is formed by a ring of shell toothed like a saw, and is 

 nearly an inch in diameter. 



I am endeavouring, but I am afraid unsuccessfully, to buy the 

 beak, but the owner demands twenty-five dollars for it. I may, 

 however, obtain it yet, if no one else offers for it. I inquired if it 

 had a back-bone similar to what the small squids have ; but they 

 informed me that this species never has one, and that there was 

 only a thin, brittle, glass-like substance, of the shape of a bamboo- 

 leaf, running half the length of the body, so I presume this is one 

 of the cuttles that produces the sea-pen. They had destroyed it 

 in cleaning out the inside. 



They also told me that they had a great sea fight with the 

 creature when they made the capture ; but this I do not believe, 

 as I have frequently observed the smaller species swimming about 

 the bay, and when frightened they can dart away out of sight in 



