37S 



LOWER INVERTEBRATES. 



foundland, in 1877, had a head and body nine and a half feet long, and tentacular 

 arms thirty feet in length, the circumference of the body being seven feet. This was 



the specimen exhibited at the New York Aqua- 

 rium, and afterwards in other parts of- the coun- 

 try. It was the best specimen ever obtained. 

 These large specimens all belong to the species 

 called A. prineeps. The largest specimen thus 

 far seen may also possibly belong to this species. 

 It was described by the Rev. Mr. Harvey of 

 Newfoundland, who has been the source of a 

 large amount of our information about these 

 monsters, and who has supplied Prof. Verrill 

 with some of his specimens and much of his 

 data. His account, which was published in the 

 Boston Traveller of Jan. 30, 1879, runs as fol- 

 lows : — 



" On the second day of November last, Stephen 

 Sherring, a fisherman residing in Thimble Tickle 

 (Notre Dame Bay), not far from the locality 

 where the other devil-fish was cast ashore, was 

 out in a boat with two other men ; not far from 

 the shore they observed some bulky object, and 

 supposing it might be part of a wreck, they 

 rowed towai-d ' it, and, to their horror, found 

 themselves . close to a huge fish, having large 

 glassy eyes, which was making desperate efforts 

 to escape, and churning the water into foam by 

 the motion of its immense arms and tail. It 

 was aground, and the tide was ebbing. From 

 the funnel at the back of its head it was eject- 

 ing large volumes of water, this being its 

 method of moving backward, the force of the 

 stream by the reaction of the surrounding 

 medium, driving it in the required direction. 

 At times the water from the siphon was black as ink. 



" Finding the monster partially disabled, the fishermen plucked up courage and 

 ventured near enough to throw the grapnel of their boat, the sharp flukes of which, 

 having barbed points, simk into the soft body. To the grapnel they attached a stout 

 rope which they carried ashore and tied to a tree, so as to prevent the fish from going 

 out with the tide. It was a happy thought for the devil-fish found himself effectually 

 moored to the shore. His struggles were terrific as he flung his ten arms about in dying 

 agony. The fishermen took cai-e to keep a respectful distance from the long tentacles 

 which ever and anon darted out like great tongues from the central mass. At length 

 it became exhausted, and as the water receded it expired. 



" The fishernien, alas ! knowing no better, proceeded to convert it into dog's meat. 

 It was a splendid specimen — the largest yet taken — the body measuring twenty feet 

 from the beak to the extremity of the tail. It was thus exactly double the size of the 

 New York [Aquarium] specimen, and five feet longer than the one taken by Budgell. 



Fig. 492. — ArckUettthis j/rinceps, giant squid, 

 one fiftieth the natural size. 



