232 er. h. woodward on a fossil octopus [May 1 896, 



may have represented the umbrella, or ' web/ which once united 

 the arras or podites together. 



In the centre of the head (between the bases of the arms or 

 podites) is a darker and denser spot of brown showing evidence of 

 the beaks, — marking the position of the mouth ; below this again 

 is a small slightly-raised orifice, which probably marks the opening 

 of the funnel. Two remains of fishes lie across the neck and 

 separate the head and arms above from the round wrinkled body 

 beneath, with its triangular fins, a feature which at once distinctly 

 characterizes this genus. 



. An injudicious attempt to develop the two mutilated fishes, lying 

 across the Octopod, has resulted in the unfortunate removal of a 

 part of the thin and delicate layer on which the Nature-painting of 

 Calais was preserved. In the centre of the body is an oval 

 depression or cavity 8 mm. long and 4 mm. broad, once occupied by 

 the ink-bag. The breadth of the body is 40 mm., and to the 

 extremity of the lateral fins 64 mm. ; height of fin 14 mm. Length 

 of arms rather over 100 mm. Breadth of arm near the head about 

 5 mm., but diminishing rapidly to 4 and 3 mm., and terminating in 

 a slender whip-like extremity. 



There appears to be only a single row of suckers upon each arm, 

 as in the genus Eledone, and about 30 suckers in each row. The 

 suckers vary in size from 2 mm. in diameter to less than 1 mm. 

 Some of the suckers seen in profile stand up as much as 2 mm. from 

 the surface of the arm. 



There is a faint trace of the presence of an umbrella, or web, 

 uniting, the bases of the arms around the mouth to a distance of 

 about 15 mm. The arms were evidently very flexible, judging 

 by the graceful curves which they have assumed even in death. 

 They are also seen to be of nearly equal size and length, so far as 

 can be ascertained. 



As I have already stated, the triangular ' al®/ or more properly 

 .' fins,' are characteristic of Calais. S. P. Woodward (* Manual of 

 the Mollusca,' p. 64) says of the Octopods, ' their bodies are round, 

 and they seldom have fins.' 



In Pinnoctopus the body has lateral fins united behind (ex. P. 

 cordiformis). In CirroteutJiis the body has two transverse fins. In 

 ■ Calais, as we have seen, the body is round, but it is provided with 

 triangular lateral fins (not united behind). 



In the decapoda — cephalopods with eight arms and two tentacles, 

 or, as they are often called, ' tentacular arms ' — the body is oblong or 

 elongated, and is always provided with a pair of lateral or nearly 

 terminal fins. 



Sepiola has rounded dorsal fins, but in very many genera the fins 

 are terminal and often rhombic or angular. 



The question of the position of the arms, whether uniform in size 

 and freely-moving, or differing in size and position in relation to the 

 dorsal and ventral aspect of the body, is of some importance even in 

 studying .these fossil remains. t -.-..., 



Thus, for example, in his work, * Aus dem Orient,' vol. ii. p. 90, 



