102 THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 



1. Eledone,"^ in 1826, d'Orbigny enumerated the genus by the same name in Ms 

 " Tableau metbodique ";^ and in the same year Eisso also adopted the genus but altered 

 the spelling to " Eledona" either with the view of approximating it to customary 

 Latin spelling, or merely follomng the example of Belon, Aldrovaudus, and others. 



The conclusion which de Rochebrune draws from these facts is that Risso is the 

 author of the genus. This seems to me quite untenable, and calculated to lead to the 

 utmost confusion, in addition to which it is obviously unjust to give to a -^Titer who 

 merely makes a Hteral alteration in the spelling of a word the credit of founding the 

 genus. A few examples will make my meaning clear. In 1835 d'Orbigny separated 

 Blainville's " Cahnars filches " as a distinct genus Ommastrephes, since which some 

 other authors, of whom I believe Loven ^ was the first, have preferred to spell it 

 Ommatostrephes ; but are we therefore to speak of it as " Ommatostrephes, Loven, 

 1847 "? Again the year before last, Dr. de Rochebrune himself thought fit to erect 

 Loligopsis elUpsoptera, Adams and Reeve, into a genus " Dyctydiopsis." This is in 

 distinct violation of the ordinary rule for transliterating Greek words, whereby i should 

 become i not y, but if, in adopting his genus, I were to make this correction, I do not 

 think any future •ftT.-iter, even though he might approve of this spelling, would be 

 justified in calling the genus " Dictydiopsis, Hoyle, 1886." 



The question whether Risso's proposed alteration was desii'able or not does not 

 afi"ect the question; it may well be left as a matter of opinion. To me, I confess, it 

 seems that Eledone is the preferable form, and as it has priority I prefer to use it ; 

 indeed I should be loth to interfere with any published spelling except on the ground 

 of flagrant inaccuracy. 



Eledone cirrosa (Lamarck), d'Orbigny. 



1776. Sepia octopodia (?), Pennant, Brit. ZooL, vol. iv. p. 53, pi. xxviii. fig. 44. 



1799. Octopus cirrlwsus, Lmk., Mem. Soc. Hist. Nat. Paris, t. i. p. 21, pi. i. fig. 2. 



1814. Ozoena aldrovandi {?), Eaf., Precis decouv. somiol, p. 29. 



1827. Octopus ventricosus, Grant, Edin. N. Phil. Journ., p. 309. 



1829. „ aldrovandi, d. Ch., Mem. stor. nat., pp. 45, 57, tav. Ivi. 



1838. Eledone eirrliosus, d'Orb., Ceph. aci^t., p. 79 ; Eledons, pi. ii. 



1843. „ pennantii, Maogillivray, Moll. Anim. Scot., p. 31. 



1843. „ aldrovandi (.?), Macgillivray, Ibid., p. 32. 



1851. „ aldrovandi, Ver., CepL medit., p. 12, pis. ii., iii. 



1851. „ genei, Ver., Ibid., p. 15, pi. i. 



1853. „ cirrhosus, Forbes and Hanley, Brit. Moll., vol. iv. p. 211, pi. kkk fig. i; pi. miu 



fig. 1. 

 1869. ,, cirrosa, Jeffreys, Brit. ConcL, vol. v. p. 146, pi. vii. fig. 2. 



Habitat. — Off the Butt of Lewis, H.M.S. "Triton" Expedition, August 25, 1882; 

 40 fathoms. One specimen, $ . 



' De Rocliebrune is in error wben he states {op. cit., p. 153) that Leach used the form "Eledon." 



2 Ann. d. Sci. Nat., t. vii. p. 145. ^ Ofi)erdgt k. Svensk Veterisk. Akad. Forhandl, Argangen, p. 135, 1846. 



