﻿

  Geology 
  and 
  Natural 
  History. 
  163 
  

  

  The 
  length, 
  given 
  as 
  18 
  feet, 
  includes 
  the 
  mutilated 
  head 
  

   region. 
  The 
  photographs 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  "breadth," 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  

   first 
  account 
  as 
  10 
  feet, 
  applies 
  to 
  the 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  divergent 
  

   stumps 
  of 
  the 
  arms 
  (?) 
  and 
  the 
  body 
  taken 
  together, 
  as 
  they 
  lie 
  on 
  

   the 
  sand. 
  The 
  body, 
  itself, 
  is 
  almost 
  7 
  feet 
  wide, 
  and 
  rises 
  at 
  its 
  

   thickest 
  part 
  3^ 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sand 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  partially 
  

   imbedded. 
  The 
  body 
  is 
  not 
  greatly 
  flattened 
  and 
  probably 
  had 
  

   a 
  diameter 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  5 
  feet 
  when 
  living. 
  The 
  parts 
  cast 
  ashore 
  

   probably 
  weighed 
  at 
  least 
  6 
  or 
  7 
  tons, 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  doubtless 
  less 
  

   than 
  half 
  of 
  its 
  total 
  mass 
  when 
  living. 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  is 
  probably 
  one 
  of 
  those 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  sperm 
  

   whale 
  feeds 
  regularly 
  on 
  the 
  whaling 
  grounds 
  off 
  our 
  southern 
  

   coast. 
  

  

  Whalers 
  have 
  told 
  me, 
  years 
  ago, 
  that 
  sperm 
  whales 
  killed 
  in 
  

   that 
  region 
  often 
  vomit 
  great 
  masses 
  of 
  cephalopod 
  flesh, 
  includ- 
  

   ing 
  sections 
  of 
  huge 
  arms. 
  One 
  reliable 
  whaling 
  captain 
  used 
  to 
  

   say 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  seen 
  very 
  large 
  suckers 
  " 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  a 
  dinner 
  

   plate 
  " 
  on 
  such 
  fragments 
  of 
  arms. 
  The 
  suckers 
  of 
  this 
  Florida 
  

   Octopus 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  that, 
  if 
  they 
  had 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   portions 
  to 
  the 
  arms 
  and 
  body 
  usual 
  in 
  small 
  species 
  of 
  Octopus. 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  is 
  evidently 
  distinct 
  from 
  all 
  known 
  forms, 
  and 
  I 
  

   therefore 
  propose 
  to 
  name 
  it 
  Octopus 
  giganteus. 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  

   that 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  related 
  to 
  Cirroteuthis, 
  and 
  in 
  that 
  case 
  the 
  two 
  

   posterior 
  stumps, 
  looking 
  like 
  arms, 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  

   lateral 
  fins, 
  for 
  they 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  too 
  far 
  back 
  for 
  the 
  arms, 
  unless 
  

   pulled 
  out 
  of 
  position. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  they 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  too 
  

   far 
  forward 
  for 
  fins. 
  So 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  probably 
  arms 
  twisted 
  out 
  

   of 
  their 
  true 
  position. 
  This 
  is, 
  at 
  any 
  rate, 
  the 
  first 
  gigantic 
  

   Octopod 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  described 
  or 
  figured 
  from 
  actual 
  specimens. 
  

  

  Note. 
  Since 
  the 
  above 
  was 
  in 
  type, 
  I 
  have 
  learned 
  that 
  Dr. 
  

   Webb 
  had 
  caused 
  the 
  sand 
  around 
  the 
  monster 
  to 
  be 
  removed, 
  

   and 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  six 
  horses 
  and 
  powerful 
  tackle 
  he 
  has 
  moved 
  it 
  

   higher 
  up 
  the 
  beach. 
  He 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  true 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  

   is 
  21 
  feet. 
  The 
  head 
  is 
  mostly 
  or 
  entirely 
  gone. 
  The 
  outer 
  

   integument 
  has 
  dried 
  to 
  a 
  firm 
  mass 
  several 
  inches 
  thick. 
  

  

  view, 
  which 
  will 
  be 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  American 
  Naturalist. 
  The 
  photographs 
  

   themselves 
  are 
  not 
  strong 
  enough 
  for 
  reproduction, 
  having 
  been 
  over-exposed. 
  

  

  A 
  notice 
  of 
  this 
  Octopus, 
  written 
  by 
  me, 
  was 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  

   Herald, 
  Jan. 
  3d, 
  but 
  my 
  signature 
  was 
  omitted 
  without 
  my 
  consent. 
  A 
  figure, 
  

   furnished 
  and 
  described 
  by 
  me 
  as 
  a 
  restoration, 
  was 
  inserted 
  without 
  any 
  expla- 
  

   nation: 
  it 
  is 
  needless 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  closely 
  resemble 
  the 
  mutilated 
  

  

  