282 
A. E. Verrill — North American Gephalopods. 
tive organs were not in an active condition. The same is true of all 
the specimens that I have taken at other localities in summer. From 
the fact that the oviducts are small and simple, and the nidamental 
glands little developed, I believe that it will eventually prove that 
this species discharges its eggs free in the ocean, and that they will 
be found floating at the surface, either singly or in gelatinous masses 
or bands, not having any complicated capsules to enclose them. 
Nothing is known as to the length of time required by this species to 
attain its full size. It probably lives several years. 
This squid is an exceedingly active creature, darting with great 
velocity backward, or in any other direction, by means of the reaction 
of the jet of water which is ejected with great force from the siphon, 
and which may be directed forward or backward, or to the right or 
left, by bending the siphon. Even when confined in a limited space, 
as in a fish-pound, it is not an easy matter to capture them with a 
dip-net, so quick will they dart away, to the right and left. When 
darting rapidly the lobes of the caudal fin are closely wrapped around 
the body* and the arms are held tight together, forming an acute 
bundle in front, so that the animal, in this condition, is sharp at both 
ends, and passes through the water with the least possible resistance. 
Its caudal fin is used as an accessory organ of locomotion when it 
slowly swims about, or balances itself for some time nearly in one 
position in the water. 
The best observations of the modes of capturing its prey are by 
Messrs. S. I. Smith and Oscar Harger, who observed it at Province- 
town, Massachusetts, among the wharves, in large numbers, July 28, 
1872, engaged in capturing and devouring the young mackerel, which 
were swimming about in ‘schools,’ and at that time were about four 
or five inches long. In attacking the mackerel they would suddenly 
dart backward among the fish with the velocity of an arrow, and as 
suddenly turn obliquely to the right or left and seize a fish, which 
was almost instantly killed by a bite in the back of the neck with 
their sharp beaks. The bite was always made in the same place, cut- 
ting out a triangular piece of flesh, and was deep enough to penetrate 
to the spinal cord. The attacks were not always successful, and were 
sometimes repeated a dozen times before one of these active and wary 
* This position of the fins is well shown in Plate 26, fig. 341, of Binney’s edition of 
Gould’s Invertebrata of Massachusetts. This figure was probably drawn by Mr. Burk- 
hardt from living specimens formerly kept in Cutting’s Aquarium, in Boston, about 
1860 to 1862. This figure is very good, in most respects, except that the clubs of the 
tentacles have been confounded with the ventral pair of the sessile arms, and thus the 
suckers are made to continue along the whole length of the tentacles. 
