LAMNID^E. 307 



lie is able. Then arrives the pei'ilous moment, as the fish no sooner feels the 

 weapon than he dives with great celerity. 



Everything 1 must be clear to allow the line to run out freely. Should the 

 line unfortunately catch in any projecting piece of wood or meet with any 

 impediment, the boat is invariably capsized ; or should cither of the men, through 

 carelessness or accident, be caught by the line round the leg or arm, which has 

 occasionally happened, he gets hauled down with the fish. Another man, there- 

 fore, always stands ready with an axe to cut the line ; but when such an accident 

 does occur generally both man and fish are lost. 



The fish drags the boat with him until his strength becomes exhausted. A lean 

 fish holds out better than a fat one, and will sometimes continue dragging the 

 boat for twenty-four hours, while a fat one generally gets tired out in three or four 

 hours. When exhausted, the fish is hauled up to the surface alongside the boat, 

 and with a long sharp knife the fin is instantly cut off to prevent his striking, as 

 a blow would readily smash the boat. He is then speared until quite dead. 



Before commencing to extract the liver the fish is fastened by sundry ropes to 

 the mast and turned, when one of the men, provided with a long knife for the 

 purpose, opens the forepart of the stomach, which enables him to take oivt a large 

 piece of the liver. He then puts his arm in and separates all the fibres and 

 integuments, so as to effectually release the liver, which operation requires to be 

 carefully performed. When completed the stomach is ripped up from end to end ; 

 the liver then floats out, the belly fills with water, and the carcase is cast adrift 

 and immediately sinks. The liver is next got into the boat, and the operation is 

 concluded. 



Young fish are never met with ; they doubtless keep in deep water until of 

 mature growth. The size of the liver depends greatly upon the condition of the 

 fish. 



Habitat. The Mediterranean. According to Low, in the last century, this 

 appeared to be one of the commonest forms of shark in the Orkneys, being 

 frequently seen in the harbour of Stromness, and other creeks of these islands and 

 in the open sea. W. Baikie (Zool. 1853, p. 3846) latterly has considered it to be 

 rare in the Orkneys and Shetlands. It is common in the Scottish seas, occasionally, 

 though seldom, entering the Firth of Forth (Neill) : also the Firth of Clyde and 

 the Hebrides in droves or in pairs from June until the end of July (Pennant). 

 It is supposed to have occurred near Scarborough on two occasions, but the 

 evidence as to identification is insufficient (Yorkshire Vertebrata) ; Yarmouth 

 (Paget), and Sir T. Browne records it off Norfolk so long ago as 1662 ; off 

 Hastings (Home) ; several times off Sussex ( Yarrell) ; on February 27th, 1875, one, 

 28ft. 13in. long, was captured near Shanklin, Isle of Wight (Hadfield, Zool. p. 4415), 

 the skin of which specimen was purchased (for 15) for the British Museum; 

 Dorsetshire (Shaw) ; Devonshire (Yarrell) ; not uncommon off Cornwall during 

 the summer (Cornish Vertebrata) ; one 9 feet long was captured in Mount's Bay, 

 June 11th, 1870 (Cocks, Cornwall Poly. Soc. 1870, p. 110) ; on the Welsh coast, 

 in some years, they are abundant, in others only stray fish. They have been 

 recorded in Carnarvonshire and Anglesea (Pennant). 



Ireland. Taken especially off the west coast, or off Achill and Boffin Islands, 

 in the former of which one 27 feet long was washed ashore in September, 1868 

 (Buckland) ; also captured in considerable numbers off the coast of Connemara 

 (Templeton). One 5^ feet long was taken in Lough Fojle in July, 1849. In 

 August another, nearly 30 feet long, became entangled in a trammel in Court- 

 macsherry harbour and was towed to shore ; while it is not rare off Kinsale Head 

 (Mr. More). A specimen 27 feet long is in the Dublin Museum of Science 

 and Art. 



It attains to from 35 to 36, or even 40 feet in length. My figure is from a 

 stuffed specimen over 5-g- feet long in the National Collection. 



20 



