Zoology.] NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. ^Fishes. 



Measurements — continued. Male. Female. 



Length from snout to anterior base of pectoral... 



„ of base of pectoral... 



„ of anterior margin of pectoral 

 Greatest girth of pectoral 



Length from posterior base of 2nd dorsal to 

 origin of caudal ... 



„ of hind edge of pectoral to anterior edge 

 of ventral 



„ of base of ventral ... 



„ of anterior margin of ventral... 



„ from tip of snout to upper edge of nostril 



„ „ „ anterior edge of orbit 



ff yy yy SUirtldC ••• ••• 



„ of orbit 

 „ of nostril ... 

 Diameter of spiracle 

 Width of mouth 

 Length from tip of snout to middle of front edge 



of mouth 

 Lengtli of 1st gill-opening ... 

 Girth 

 Length of exposed portion of posterior dorsal 



spine 

 Width at base 

 Length of exposed portion of anterior dorsal 



spine ... ... ... ... ... — ... 1 



Size of scales about middle of body, nineteen in 3 lines. 



Reference. — = Squalus acanthias (Lin.), Syst. Nat. t. 1, p. 597; id. Blocb, 

 t. Ixxxv. = Acanthias vulgaris, Bonaparte, Cat. Pesci Europ. p. 15. 



This little Dog-fisli, which rarely exceeds two feet in length, is 

 easily distinguished hy the bony spines in front of the two dorsal 

 fins, the absence of anal fin ; and the posterior termination of the 

 tail in the same line as the body, instead of being al^ruptly turned 

 up as in most sharks. As at home, it seems to In-ing forth its 

 living young almost every day throughout all the warmer months 

 of the year, each about 5 inches long, with a very large fig-shaped 

 egg-bag hanging from it, IJ inches in diameter and upwards of 

 2 inches long. Their spines are much dreaded by the fishermen, 

 from the painful wounds they can inflict with them ; always painful 

 and difficult to heal, and sometimes producing lockjaw. When 

 hooked or tangled by the head in a net they bend the tail over the 

 head, and, suddenly lashing out straight, cut the cords and escape, 

 or tear open a man's hand touching their head, with the sharp 

 lateral edges of the dorsal sjiines ; the larger spine of the 2nd dorsal 

 on the more flexible tail being the more effective. 



I can find no difference between the English fish and ours 

 on careful comparison of specimens, and I find the 1st dorsal as 



[24] 



