other leading scientists in the world to try to determine just what they have on hand.

The three-foot-long sausage shaped specimen was found on the surface of the water southeast of Cooper's Island in St. George's.

Chris Flook, a staff member at the Aquarium, spotted the unusual mass as he was out fishing and decided to bring it in. Collections Officer at the Aquarium, Lisa Greene reported "staff members have been intrigued, trying to identify it''.

"Several scientists from the US and Canada have been contacted and sent written descriptions and digital photographs,'' she said. Dr. Clyde Roper, a squid expert with the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC, thinks the mass are rhomboid squid eggs.

According to Ms. Greene: "Several rhomboid squid have been found in Bermuda over the last several years, usually washed up dead or nearly dead on the shore. The Aquarium and Natural History Museum have never come across anything like this mystery specimen before.'' The unusual specimen is gelatinous and contains "spiralling strands of thousands of small purple spheres''.

"It is on display at the aquarium in a large tank well supplied with air and fresh water,'' said Ms Greene. "It is hoped that if this is an egg mass, the eggs will develop and staff will see changes in the spheres, such as embryos developing.'' The spheres undergo microscopic examination every day and some change has taken place. But according to Ms Greene "not enough to positively identify the mass. If the mystery specimen is an egg mass and the eggs hatch, a few of the animals will be preserved and kept in the Museum and the rest will be released,'' she said.