FAMILY SQUALID.E CARCHARIAS. 351 



I am indebted to Lesueur for the description and figure of this species. There are certain 

 particulars in which they do not agree, but I suppose the description to be the most exact. 

 It bears a general resemblance to the following, from which, however, it is obviously distinct. 



THE GROUND SHARK. 



CARCHARIAS L1TTORAL1S. 



The Ground Shark, Squalvs hlloralis. Mitchill, Am. Month. Mag. Vol. 2, p. 328. 

 Ash-colored Shark, S. litlorahs. Lesueur, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sc. Vol. 1, p. 224. 



Characteristics. Fins large, not prolonged backward. Teeth narrow, pointed, undulated. 

 Second dorsal before the anal. Length five to eight feet. 



Description. Body short, thick, wider towards the abdomen. Head flat, dilated between 

 the eyes, and terminating in a pointed snout, rounded at the end. Nasal lobes very short ; 

 apertures pretty wide, and laterally placed at the extremity of the snout. Eyes very small, 

 orbicular, brilliant ; these are somewhat above the sides of the snout. Branchial apertures 

 very large, especially the first ; the last much smaller, embracing the base of the pectoral 

 fin. Dorsal subquadrangular ; pectoral soft. Tail rounded, tapering to a point, and furnished 

 with a falciform fin, terminated by a distinct triangular lobe. It has an undulated carina, 

 tapering at the base upwards. The opening of the jaws represents the letter U. Teeth long, 

 in three or four rows, without dentulures. 



Color. Reddish ash-grey. Abdomen white. Irides silvery. 



Length three feet. New-York markets. 



To this description,' which is taken from Lesueur, I add the following additional remarks 

 by Dr. Mitchill : 



" Mouth enormously wide, and not very remote from the snout ; with three rows of elon- 

 " gated teeth, shaped almost like horseshoe nails. Tongue broad and smooth. The hindmost 

 " spiracle measurably in advance of the pectorals, opening behind the eye. Skin rough 

 " when felt reversely. Length five to eight feet. Color whitish or grey." 



It will be observed that this shark has some of the characters of a Lamna ; but I cannot 

 venture to reconcile the discrepancies between the two descriptions, which, it is worthy of 

 notice, were made from the same specimen. 



