A. JE. Verrill — North American Cephalopoda. 
399 
“‘In reply to yours of the 12th about the cuttle-fish, I may state 
that while stationed at Cape Campbell I found several specimens of 
large size, all, however, more or less mutilated, except one, the beak 
of which I gave to Mr. Hamilton. It was alive and quite perfect, the 
body being 7 feet long, eight sessile arms 8 feet long, and two ten- 
tacular arms 12 feet long. I am, however, only writing from memory. 
Mr. Hamilton has the exact measurements, and I remember dis- 
tinctly that the total length was close on 20 feet.’ 
“I am sorry to say that Mr. Hamilton has mislaid the notes and 
measurements, but those given above cannot be far out.” 
No. 3. The third specimen was examined and measured by Mr. 
Kirk, personally, where it lay on the beach. He made a drawing of 
it, which has not yet been published, to my knowledge. It was found 
on the beach at Lyall Bay, May 23, 1879, by three boys. Mr. Kirk 
states that it had been somewhat mutilated by the natives before he 
saw it, and the pen or bone had been cut across ; but he preserved 
all the pieces of the pen, the beak, tongue, and some of the suckers. 
Most of the suckers had been torn oft’. 
“ The length of body from tip of tail to anterior margin of the 
mantle was 9 feet 2 inches, and 7 feet 3 inches in circumference ; the 
head from anterior margin of mantle to roots of arms, 1 foot 11 
inches; making the total length of the body 11 feet 1 inch. The 
head measured 4 feet in circumference. The sessile arms measured 4 
feet 3 inches in length, and 11 inches in circumference. Each of 
these arms bore thirty-six suckers, arranged in two equal rows (as 
shown by the scars), and measuring from to ^ of au inch in diam- 
eter. Every sucker was strengthened by a bony ring armed with 
from forty to sixty sharp incurved teeth. The tentacular arms had 
been torn off at the length of 6 feet 2 inches, which was probably less 
than half their original length.” 
“The fins were posterior, and were mere lateral expansions of the 
mantle. They did not extend over the back, as in the ease with 
Onyc-hoteuthis , &c. Each measured 24 inches in length and 13 
inches in width. 
“The cuttle-bone, when first extracted, measured 6 feet 3 inches in 
length and 1 1 inches in width, but has since shrunk considerably. It 
was broadly lanceolate, with a hollow conical apex 1;J inches deep.” 
No. 4. “Another specimen, measuring 8 feet in length, was lately 
caught by a fishing party near the Boulder Bank, at Nelson, concern- 
ing which I have only seen a newspaper cutting, and have not been 
able to obtain particulars.” 
