THE ZooLocist—JuNE, 1875. 4503 
attacked in turn, while it took all the skill of the men to keep out of the 
deadly clutch of the suckers. The battle thus continued for two hours, and 
while direct conflict was avoided, the animal was gradually being deprived 
of its offensive weapons. Five miles out on the open Atlantic, in their frail 
canvas craft, the bowman still slashed away, holding on boldly by the 
stranger, and steadily cutting down his powers. By this time the prize was 
partially subdued, and the curragh closed in fairly with the monster. The 
polished sides of the canoe afforded slender means of grasp, and such as 
remained of the ten great arms slashed round through air and water in most 
dangerous but unavailing fashion. The trunk of the fish lay alongside, fully 
as long as the canoe, while, in its extremity, the mutilated animal emitted 
successive jets of fluid which darkened the sea for fathoms round. The 
head at last was severed from the body, which was unmanageable from its 
great weight, and sank like lead to the bottom of the sea. The remaining 
portions were stowed away and carried ashore, to the utter amazement of 
the islanders. To quote from ‘The Sea and its Living Wonders,’ I find it 
stated that— Near Van Dieman’s Land, Peron saw a sepia as big as a tun 
rolling about in the waters; its enormous arms had the appearance of snakes. 
Each of these organs was at least seven feet long, and measured seven or 
eight inches round the base. These well-authenticated proportions are truly 
formidable, and fully justify the dread abhorrence Polynesian divers enter- 
tain of these snake-armed monsters of the deep. Banks and Solander, in 
Cook’s first voyage, found the dead carcase of a gigantic cuttle-fish floating 
at Cape Horn. It was surrounded by aquatic birds, feeding on the remains. 
From the parts of this specimen preserved in the Hunterian Collection, and 
which have always strongly excited the attention of naturalists, it must have 
measured at least six feet from end of tail to end of tentacles.” If the 
specimens alluded to above are correctly described as “ gigantic” and “ for- 
midable,” well may the capture made at Boffin be regarded as wonderful ; 
and it is owing to the merest chance that the writer became aware of the 
circumstance, and possessed himself of such evidence as puts the truth of 
the matter beyond all doubt. Of the portions of the mollusk taken ashore 
two of the great arms are intact, and measure eight feet each in length and 
fifteen inches round the base. The two tentacles attain a length of thirty 
feet. The mandibles are about four inches across, hooked, just like the 
beak of an enormous parrot, with a very curious tongue. The head, devoid 
of all appendages, weighed about six stone, and the eyes were about fifteen 
inches in diameter. Doubtless this account may sound exaggerated, but 
I hold such portions of the fish as are fully sufficient to establish its 
enormous size, and verify the dimensions above given.— Thomas O'Connor, 
Sergeant, Royal Irish Constabulary ; Boffin Island, Connemara, April 28, 
1875. i 
