160 PEOP. OWEN ON NEW AND RAEE CEPHALOPODA. 



M. Velain was led, in his brief notice to the Academy of Sciences, to refer the huge 

 specimen to Steenstrup's genus Architeuthis. But in the later notice he specifies the 

 singularly truncate character of the arms, which do not narrow to a point as in all 

 other Cephalopods ; he refers also to a totally different hinder termination of the 

 " gladius." This, however, is not shown in the photograph of the entire animal ; nor is 

 the kind of difference specified. But, on the ground below cited i, the author proposes 

 to refer his subject to a distinct genus, "Mouchezis,'" in honour of the commandant 

 (Mouchez) of the expedition. 



Of this specimen one of the tentacles, the beak, and pharynx were exhibited to the 

 Academy of Sciences ; and those parts are doubtless preserved in the Museum of Natural 

 History, Jardin des Plantes. 



If the stunted terminations of the ordinary cephalic arms of Motichezis be accidental 

 to the individual specimen, the characters of the brachial acetabula, both as to structure 

 and arrangement, conform with those of the arm of the great Squid {PlectoteutMs 

 grandis) above described. Of the existence of folds of skin extending from the margins 

 of the acetabuliferous tract or the opposite parts of the arm of MoucJiezis, no mention 

 is made. 



What is remarkable in the tentacular pair is their great length, almost equalling 

 that, relatively, in Loligojysis veraniP. The prolonged attenuation of the pointed end 

 of the body approaches to that character in Lolicjo sululata, Lam.^; but it maybe 

 remarked that the corresponding end of the gladius in that species is not drawn out to 

 the same degree. 



Assuming a cephalic arm of MoucJiezis to have been one fourth the length of the 

 extended tentacle, which is estimated at 16 feet, such arm would be less than half the 

 length of the great Ommastrephic arm in the British Museum. 



The total length of Moiwhezis, from the tip of the outstretched tentacle to the 

 pointed end of the body, is set down as nearly 23 feet, leaving 8 feet for the length 

 of the body. If, therefore, the tentacles of Plectoteittlds bore like proportions to those 

 of MoucJiezis, the total length of that Cephalopod must have greatly surpassed the 

 Teuthid of the Isle of St. Paul*. 



' " Ses dimensions, ses venteuses circulaires, garnies d'un cerole corne finement denticiile, leur disijosition 

 sur les bras, semblait motiver ce rapprooliement, mais certains autres caracteres Ten eloignent ; en particulier 

 la forme singulierement ecourtee des bras, qui paraissent tronques brusquement an lieu de terminer en une 

 poLnte effilee, comme dans tons les Cephalopodcs, ainsi que la terminaison inferieure, toute difiereute, de 

 I'osselefc dorsal." — Op. dt. p. 83. 



° D'Orbigny, op. cit. Ldligopsis, pi. 2. fig. 1. ^ Id. ib. Loligo, pi. 17. figs. 1 & 2. 



* The above comparisons imply confidence in the accuracy of the dimension 7'15 m. assigned to MoucJiezis. 

 It would be acceptable to Cephalopodists if figures of the natural size of the parts of the mouth preserved, 

 corresponding with those (Pis. XXX. & XXXII.) of Cook's Hooked Squid, were published. Figures, nat. size, 

 of one of the cephalic arms and of the acetabular expansion of the tentacle of MoucJiezis would be equally 

 welcome. 



