REPOET ON THE CEPHALOPODA. 65 



commence one or two suckers farther from the mouth, but it is not certain how 

 much importance is to be attached to this point. 



In connection with the capture of this species I find the following note in Dr. v. 

 Willemoes-Suhm's MS. Journal. " Cirroteuthis. — By us this genus .... has been found 

 before in deep water several times, especially in the Antarctic," alluding no doubt to the 

 specimens above described as Cirroteuthis magna and Cirroteuthis pacijica. Further- 

 more, in his "Challenger Briefe", (Zoc. ct'^.) he remarks, "Ich mochte glauben, dass das 

 Thier wie die Umbellularia im hohen Norden das Flachwasser erreicht, . . . . im iibrigen 

 aber tlberall in grossen Tiefen bei niedrigen Temperaturgraden anzutrefFen ist," a supposi- 

 tion which we shall afterwards see to be remarkably borne out by all we know of the 

 distribution of the genus (see section on Distribution, postea). 



The dorsal cartilage (PL XIII. figs. 5, 6) resembles that of Cirroteuthis magna rather 

 than of Cirroteuthis miilleri, but the peculiar transversely elongated and curved shape of 

 the former is here greatly exaggerated. It consists, indeed, of a thin rod bent round 

 almost into the shape of a horse-shoe : the inner surface of the curve is rounded off, 

 whereas the outer is flat except for four little angular processes, which protrude from it 

 on the anterior and posterior edges about halfway between the centre and the extremities 

 of the curve. Just outside these processes is a slightly flattened area which receives 

 the base of the fin, and forms a kind of socket for it. 



The interesting little specimen shown enlarged about four diameters on PI. IX. figs. 

 12, 13, may, owing to its complete state of preservation, be supposed to give a better 

 idea of the general form of the body than any other in the collection. 



The arms are bent sharply outwards, probably owing to the contraction caused by the 

 alcohol, and for the same reason, as well as because the web on their dorsal side extends 

 quite to the tips, they are drawn upwards at their extremities. They have each about 

 thirty suckers, and the cirri appear as minute papillse beside and alternating with 

 them. 



The head measured across the eyes is the widest part of the body, and just behind 

 these, and slightly to the ventral side of them, are the fins, which arise by narrow 

 rounded peduncles, and become flattened and expanded distally. The funnel is placed 

 anteriorly to the eyes and curves downwards, the mantle-margin fitting closely round its 

 base. 



The posterior extremity of the body presents several interesting points for considera- 

 tion : it is flattened from above downwards, thus terminating in a subacute edge, and 

 this marginal portion seems to consist entirely of the internal cartilage with the integu- 

 ments stretched tightly over it. The form of the skeleton thus revealed very closely 

 resembles that of Cirroteuthis meangensis above described, the angular prominences 

 shown in PL XIII. fig. 5, being quite distinctly traceable (they are not quite sufliciently 

 indicated in PL [X. fig. 12). It is very singular that this cartilage is curved in the 



(ZOOL. CHALL. EXP. — PART XLIV. 1886.) Xx 9 



