86 



SALT-WATER FISHES 



The anatomy of sharks was referred to in the first chapter, 

 to which reference should be made for an explanation of many 

 terms used in this. 



Lamnidae 



The three British sharks belonging to this family, though 

 outwardly widely different in form and not less diverse in 

 habits, agree in having small spiracles, wide gill-openings, and 

 no nictitant membrane. Apart from these family peculiarities, 

 which they share, the three British representatives of the 

 family have little in common. 



The Porbeagle {Lamna cornubica) is, for its size, the most 

 unwieldy and least active of all our sharks. Anglers catch 

 many small porbeagles on the rocky pollack grounds off the 

 Cornish coast, small examples of 25 to 35 lb. being killed 

 without difficulty on the rod. Monsters measuring 5 or 6 ft. 

 from snout to tail, and weighing in all probability over a 

 hundredweight, are also landed on the quays after the dis- 



