38 OMMATOSTREPHID^. 



cloud of spray, rushing through the water at a tremenclous rate. 

 The canoe immediately gave chase, and was up again with the 

 enemy after three-quarters of a mile. Hanging on the rear of 

 the fish, a single arm was 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 con- 

 flict was avoided, the animal was gradually being deprived of its 

 olfensive weapons. Five miles out on the open Atlantic, in their 

 frail canvas craft, the boatmen 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. Such as remained of the ten 

 great arms slashed around through the 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 around. 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. Of the portions of the 

 mollusk taken ashore, two of the great arms are intact, and 

 measure 8 feet each in length, and 15 inches round the base. 

 The two tentacles attain a length of 30 feet. The mandibles are 

 about 4 inches across. The head, devoid of all appendages, 

 weighed about 6 stone, and the eyes were about 15 inches in 

 diameter. 



It is evident, from the supine condition of this monster, that 

 it was very sick or in a dying condition when attacked ; other- 

 wise, it would have escaped capture readily by diving. Certain 

 exaggerations in the above account are probably due to the 

 ignorance rather than invention of the captors. 



In a further account of this animal,* Mr. A. Gr. More states 

 that : 



The tentacles were 30 feet long when fresh (14 and lY feet can 

 still be made up from the pickled pieces ), and a short arm measured 

 8 feet in length, by 15 inches around the base. The club of the 

 tentacle, nearly 3 feet in length, is occupied in the centre of the 

 palm by two rows of large stalked suckers, nearly 1 inch in 

 diameter, fourteen in each row ; an alternating row of fourteen 

 smaller suckers {^ in. diam.) occupies the margin on each side 

 of the palm ; these outer suckers had each a denticulated bony 

 ring of about twenty-eight teeth, pointing inwards (the rings of 

 the larger inner suckers had probably been removed or fallen 

 out before the specimens were examined). Just beneath where 

 the large suckers end, there is a cluster of very small ones 

 arranged closely in six transverse rows, and the extremity of 



* Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., 4th ser., xvi, 123. 



