42 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Width of mouth 14 



Diameter of eye OJ 



Distauce from snout to lirst dorsal G2 



Length of base of lirst dorsal 08 



Distance between dorsals 09 



Length of base of second dorsal 05 



Height of second dorsal 0(55 



Length of base of anal 0(55 



Height of anal 0» 



Length of caudal 18 



Length of pectoral 21 



Lenirth of ventral 11 



OIV THE OIL.-!^HARK OF SOIJTHERIV CAI.IFORIVIA (OAIiEORHIIVUS 



GAI.EJJS). 



By DAVID S. JORDAIV and CHAKILES H. OILBERT. 



Along the coast of Southern California a large species of shark ap- 

 pears in the spring in great schools. At certain places along the coast, 

 especially about Newport Landing, in the southern i)art of Los Angeles 

 County, the pursuit of this shark becomes a matter of considerable 

 economic importance. They are taken easily with a hook, and sometimes 

 great numbers of them may be surrounded and brought in with a seine. 

 They are valued for their livers and fins. A single liver when the ani- 

 mals first arrive, in March, will yield a gallon of oil. As much as 4,000 

 gallons of this oil have been procured at Newport in a single season. 

 The fins of this species are sold to the Chinamen, who find them a great 

 delicacy, and pay for them 12J cents a pound. 



TJie present writers have succeeded in obtaining one of these " oil- 

 sharks," and find the species to be the European tope, Galeorhimis 

 galcns {Galcus canis and tndgaris of authors). It is singular that our 

 only knowledge of the occurrence of this sjiecies on the west coast of 

 America till now has been the indication by Dr. Giinther of the ]ires- 

 euce in the British Museum of " o. Young. San Francisco. From Mr. 

 Gruber's collection." Yet, in the waters of California south of Point 

 Conception it is doubtless more numerous in individuals than all other 

 species of sharks combined. 



Measurements of an adult male otl-sharlc. 



Length 63 inches = I. 00 



Depth (greatest) ■. 14 



Length ofhead 18 



Length of snout (below, from mouth) 075 



Length of snout (from eye) 08 



Width of mouth 07 



Length of spiracle 0075 



Diameter of eye 025 



Distance from snout to iirst dorsal 33 



Length of base of iirst dorsal 073 



