190 FISHES OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



In a paper upon the " Chondropterigious fishes" contained 

 in the first volume of the " Journal of the Academy of Natural 

 Sciences of Philadelphia," Le Sueur observes, "Near Marble- 

 head in Massachusetts, the fishermen take a kind of shark 

 which they call Nurse, or Sleeper, doubtless from its inactive 

 or sluggish habits. It is considered rare on their coast. From 

 a skin recently prepared by them, I have been enabled to make 

 the following observations : 



Lateral line black, undulating at the head, and marked in 

 its whole length with small transverse lines ; tail wide, emar- 

 ginate ; the first dorsal midway between the pectoral and the 

 anal fins, the second a little further than the ventrals, and both 

 very near the tail. Body elongated, with a slight elevation, 

 and narrow at the tail ; spiracles distant from the eyes, and 

 more elevated ; eyes small, round, and situated laterally ; the 

 pectoral fins, which were larger than the others, except the 

 caudal, were four inches at the base, and at most five inches in 

 length. This individual, from the end of the snout to that of 

 the tail, was six feet five inches long ; and we may regard it as 

 a shark with very small fins, whence its motion must be slow, 

 and confined to the bottom, there sluggishly seeking its prey. 

 Skin rough, beset with triangular, curved, striated and pointed 

 asperities. Color of the entire body, a pale lead gray, some- 

 what darker on the back." 



I have not had the good fortune to see a specimen of the 

 nurse, or to meet with a fisherman who knew any thing res- 

 pecting it. It is not, however, at all surprising, that it should 

 be unknown ; with most of our fishermen, a shark is a shark, 

 without regard to specific names. The " hammer head" and 

 " thresher" and " mackerel shark" are, it is true, known to 

 many of them ; but so little do they feel interested in any 

 species of fish which is not marketable, that they take no no- 

 tice of their distinguishing characters ; and a species might 

 often frequent our waters without being known, unless it dif- 

 fered exceedingly from a common fish. 



