The kinds of Sea Polypi are understood to be,
First, The Polypus, particularly so called, the Octopus, Preke, or Pour-contrel: to which kind our subject belongs.
Secondly, The Sepia, or Cuttle-fish.
Thirdly, The Loligo, or Calamary. And each of these has its different species and varieties[159]. The ancients add the Nautilus; and some sorts of Star-fish might perhaps be not improperly ranged among them.
All of the first kind have eight arms, placed at equal distances round the head; below the arms are two eyes, and the body is short and thick.
The Cuttle-fish, and the Calamary, have each of them ten arms; of which eight are shorter ones, tapering gradually to a point from the head, where they all rise, to their extremities: the other two (frequently called Tentacula) are three or four times as long, perfectly round, slender, and of an equal thickness for above two thirds of their whole length; then spreading into a form nearly like that of the shorter arms. Great numbers of acetabula, or suckers, are placed somewhat irregularly on each of the shorter arms, and on the spreading parts of the Tentacula, where some of the suckers are a great deal larger than the rest.
The body of the Cuttle-fish is broad and flat, having within it a broad friable white bone; that of the Calamary is a sort of cartilaginous case holding the intestines, of a roundish oblong shape, furnished with two fins, and having within it a thin transparent elastic substance like Isinglass.
Philos. Trans. Vol. L. Tab. XXIX. p. [779]
G. Edwards delin AD. 1758 J. Mynde sc.