REPORT ON THE CEPHALOPODA. 101 



Octopus hrevipes, d'Orbigny. 



1838. Octopus hrevipes, d'Orb., C6pb. acet., p. 61 ; Poulpes, pL xvii. fig. 1. 

 Habitat— mxth Pacific, April 3, 1875; lat. 24° 49' N., long. 138° 34' E. ; surface. 

 One specimen. 



North Atlantic; lat. 23° N., long. 32° W. (d'Orbigny). 



A small specimen (11 mm. long) in the collection resembles d'Orbigny's figure so 

 closely that I apply his name to it. The colour, however, is much darker along the 

 dorsal surface of the arms ; it is almost certain that both are young forms, perhaps of two 

 distinct species. 



Octopus sp. 



Habitat.— Station 188, south of Papua, September 10, 1874; lat. 9° 59' S., 

 long. 139° 42' K; 28 fathoms; green mud. One specimen. 



An immature specimen, which could not be determined, was obtained at this Station. 



Octopus sp. 



iTatea^.— Station 184, east of Cape York, August 29, 1874; lat. 12° 8' S., 

 long. 145° 10' E.; 1400 fathoms; Globigerina ooze. One specimen. 



At this Station the trawl brought up some fragments of an Octopus, which it was 

 quite impossible to determine. 



Eledone, Leach. 



The species of this genus are exceedingly difacult to discriminate, and it is by no 

 means certain into how many even the commonly occurring European forms should be 

 divided. 



The difficulties are of the same kind as those encountered in the genus Octopus, and 

 the remarks made under that heading (see p. 74) apply equally here also. 



It seems necessary to go to some extent into the history of this generic name, since 

 Dr. de Rochebrune has recently discussed it ^ and arrived at a conclusion whither I can 

 hardly foUow him. 



For the present purpose it is not necessary to refer to any pre-Linnean authors, for, 

 as Dr. de Rochebrune himself admits, they are not to be considered in cases of priority; 

 we have therefore merely to inquu'e who was the first after the year 1758 (or 1766) to 

 formally establish the present genus. In the year 1817, Leach wrote, in the Zoological 

 Miscellany (vol. iii. p. 137), thus, "Pedes antliis simplice serie instructi, consimUes, 



1 Mo:io"r. Eledonida;. 



