CUTTLE-FISHES. 173 
they were thickly spotted with red and brown, but when darting 
among the mackerel they appeared translucent and pale. The 
mackerel, however, seemed to have learned that the shallow water 
was the safest for them, and would hug the shore as closely as pos- 
sible, so that in pursuing them many of the squids became stranded 
and perished by hundreds, for when they once touch the shore they 
egin to pump water from their siphons with great energy, and 
this usually forces them farther and farther up the beach. At such 
‘times they often discharge their ink in large quantities. The at- 
` tacks on the young mackerel were observed mostly at or near high 
water, for at other times the mackerel were seldom seen, though 
the squids were seen swimming about at all hours; and these at- 
tacks were observed both in the day and evening. But it is prob- 
able, from various observations, that this and the other species of 
squids are partially nocturnal in their habits, or at least are more 
active in the night than in the day. Those that are caught in the 
pounds and weirs mostly enter in the night, evidently while swim- 
ming along the shores in “schools.” They are often found in the 
morning stranded on the beaches in immense numbers, especially 
when there is a full moon, and it is thought by many of the fish- 
ermen that this is because, like many other nocturnal animals, 
they have the habit of turning toward and gazing at a bright light, 
and since they swim backwards they get ashore on the beaches op- 
posite the position of the moon. This habit is also sometimes 
taken advantage ‘of by the fishermen, who capture them for bait 
for cod-fish ; they go out in dark nights with torches in their boats 
and by advancing slowly toward a beach drive them ashore. They 
‘are also sometimes taken on lines, adhering to the bait used for 
fishes. Their habit of discharging an inky fluid throngh the siphon, 
when irritated or alarmed, is well known. This squid, like the 
_ preceding, is eagerly pursued by many voracious fishes, even when 
adult. Among its enemies are the full grown mackerel, who thus 
retaliate for the massacre of their own young by the squids. 
The specimens observed catching young mackerel were mostly 
-eight or ten inches long, and some of them were still larger. 
A fresh specimen, caught in Casco Bay, had the following pro- 
portions: Length of head and body, not including the arms, | 
221m; length of caudal fin, 86™; breadth of fin, 90™™; diam- . 
: eter of body, 35™™; length of upper arms, 80™" ; of second pair, 
: 
