426 FISHES. 



"Hiiss," or "Lesser Spotted Dog-fish," and one mentioned 



by Day and since verified by myself on many occasions, is 



that when first caught and placed in the basket 



Hound "^vith pollack and other fish, its touch dis- 



or Row colours the latter, the points of contact being 



indicated by white patches. It is somewhat 



commoner on our coasts than the last, preferring deeper 



water. A smaller species, it rarely exceeds a length of 



3^ feet. In colour and markings, however, it strongly 



resembles the last, the spots being smaller, less blurred, 



and more numerous. It is oviparous, depositing its 



" purses " in autumn. 



The Black-mouthed Dog-fish is not common in British 

 seas, where it grows to a length of 3 or 4 feet. In colour 

 -g, ^_ it is greyish, having three rows of black 



mouthed white-edged spots along the sides. The snout 

 Dog-fish, ^g pointed, and secretes a viscid matter ; the 

 tail has serrated processes ; the skin is very rough through- 

 out. The inside of the mouth, which has a fold of skin, 

 is black. The eye is large, and there are spiracles. This 

 shark deposits " purses " devoid of the usual filaments. 

 Mr Dunn of Mevagissey, a most accurate observer of sea- 

 fish, has remarked on the presence of curious reticulated 

 organs above and below the snout of this species. 



[Centrina salviani, a Mediterranean form, has been 

 trawled on one occasion at least off the Cornish coast. It 

 grows to a length of nearly 6 feet. The eye is large and 

 without nictitant membrane, and over it is a distinct 

 ridge. The spiracle is large, the gill - openings narrow, 

 and the mouth small. In colour this dog-fish is uniform 

 dark brown.] 



One of the commonest of our smaller members of the 

 shark tribe is the >Spur-dog or Picked Dog, a gregarious, 

 fish-eating species, found on every part of the British and 



