﻿4 GAXGETic FISHES. Order I. 



rous, and occasionally, but rarely, come up as far as Calcutta. 

 There would appear to be many species, usually divided by 

 our seamen into two kinds, — one, with rounded bodies, called 

 merely sharks ; and the other, with flattened heads and chests, 

 called ground-sharks. I have only had an opportunity of 

 ascertaining two of the species, both belonging to the first 

 kind. 



1st Species. — Squalus carcharias ? 



A shark with one anal fin ; with no aperture behind the 

 eye in place of an ear ; with triangular teeth, cut like a saw 

 on the edge ; and with the tail fin deficient near the point be- 

 low. 



This animal resembles very much the figure of the S. car- 

 charias, given by La Cepede, (Tome I. Planche VIII. fig. 1 ;) 

 but differs considerably from the figures given by Bloch (Ichth. 

 Tome IV. PI. CXIX.) and by Bonnaterre in the Tableau 

 Encijclopedique, (Plate VII. fig. 20,) in both of which the tail 

 fin entirely surrounds that member, in place of being deficient 

 on the under part, towards its point. I must, however, observe, 

 that the Pala sorra of Dr Russell (Indian Fishes, Vol. I. p, 9, 

 fig. 14,) is a fish resembling this shark very strongly indeed, 

 yet its caudal fin surrounds entirely the tail. We may there- 

 fore suspect, if this mark does not denote the difference of sex, 

 that we have two species agreeing with the specific character 

 usually given of the S. carcharias, or common shark. The 

 specimen from which I took the description was very small, 

 and differed from the full account given by La Cepede in the 

 few following particulars, which can scarcely pei'haps be con- 

 sidered as adequate to constitute a new species. 



The colour of the fish is above green, and beneath whitish, 

 with somewhat of a silver gloss. 



