516 SQUALID.E. 



me to believe that tlic differences observed arc only the 

 effects of greater age, and I have therefore now brought them 

 together, believing them to form but one species. 



The Porbeagle occurs occasionally on the northern and 

 on the southern coasts of this country, and is mentioned 

 as having been taken at Belfast. The specimen described 

 and figured by Dr. Goodenough in the Transactions of the 

 Linncan Society, as quoted, was taken at Hastings ; Mr. 

 Couch has seen it occasionally in Cornwall, and it was figured 

 by Dr. Borlase in his history of that coast. Mr. Couch 

 states of this species, " That it associates in small companies 

 in pursuit of prey, from which circumstance, and a distant 

 resemblance to the Porpus, they derive their name. I have 

 found the remains of cartilaginous fishes and Cuttles in their 

 stomachs, and in one instance three full-grown Hakes. 

 This species attains a large size at an early age, so that I 

 have found it cutting its second row of teeth when nearly 

 full-grown." 



On the northern and north-east coast it occurs most fre- 

 quently during autumn, and, not to multiply descriptions 

 already in print, I shall here insert one furnished by Dr. 

 George Johnston of Berwick, who examined two specimens 

 in the autumn of 1884, both of which were taken in Ber- 

 wick Bay, and who also very kindly sent me, Avith his de- 

 scription, a portion of a jaw, from which the teeth here in- 

 serted were drawn. Of these teeth 

 there were three rows, the third or 

 inner row beins 1 much smaller than 



O 



the teeth of the two preceding 

 rows, and perhaps only recently ex- 

 posed. 



Body fusiform, very narrow at the tail, and strongly keeled 

 there on each side ; skin smooth when stroked backwards, 

 of a uniform greyish black colour, the belly white ; snout 



