1130 



SCANI11NAV1AN FISHES. 



high, these Sharks are never seen, presumahly because 

 they are sluggish swimmers and cannot keep up with 

 the vessel. In all their actions they greatly resemble 

 a hungry dog or a wolf pi'owling in quest of food; 

 hence the names of cliien de nier, grand chien hieu, etc., 

 which ai'e conferred u])on them in several languages. 

 Most frequently these Sharks are attended by a little 

 tish known among seamen as the Pilot {Xaiicrates d ac- 

 tor, see above p. 82, note d). This fish, which is about 

 a foot long, presents a handsome appearance, being 

 silvei'y blue with Ijroad transverse bands of dark blue. 

 Seafaring folk in general suppose that it guides tlie 

 Shark to the prey in the hope of gaining its share 

 thereof, and this belief has been supplemented by all 

 kinds of romantic additions. Cuvier, who discerned 

 the improbability of these fabulous narratives, was of 

 the opinion that the companionship of the Shark and 

 the Pilot-fish is merely fortuitous, each of them fol- 

 lowing the vessel. But this is not the case. The Pilot- 

 fish really attends upon the Siiark, Ijut only to feed 

 upon its excrements, as a few writers, ancient and mo- 

 dern, have correctly stated. I have often had the op- 

 portunity on tropical seas of carefully watching Sharks 

 accompanied by one or two Pilot-fish, and have always 

 made the same observation. The Pilot-fisii keeps close 



to the body of the Shark, at the dorsal, pectoral, or 

 venti'al tins, but now and then ((uits his post to taste 

 some tioating object he has espied. Apparently, however, 

 he seldom finds anything that tickles liis palate, and 

 soon returns to the Shark; but the moment the Shark 

 passes any excrementitious matter, the Pilot promptly 

 and eagerly makes off to secure tlie ))rize, and then 

 returns to its former station, from which it refuses to 

 be enticed for a long while, whereas, when it is hungry, 

 it readily swims after any small object thrown into the 

 water. I never succeeded in hooking a specimen. In 

 the Bay of Bengal I had good opportunity of observing 

 that large turtles are also attended by the same kind 

 of Pilot-fish; and Suchinfi -fishes (EeJimeis, see above, 

 p. (S9, note a) accompany both Sharks and turtles for 

 the same reason as the Pilot, but always adhere firmly 

 to the Ijody of their host, till they see any morsel of 

 food, when they vie with the Pilot-fish in agility, and, 

 their errand accomplished, immediatelj' return to attach 

 themselves as before." 



These Sharks are, however, not exclusively salt- 

 water fislies. Some of them ascend the great rivers of 

 the tropics, even beyond the tidal portion of their 

 course. In Scandinavian waters they are strangers; 

 but one species has strayed to our coasts. 



THE BLUE SHARK (s\v. blahajen). 

 CARCHARIAS GLAUCUS. 



Plate L. tig. 3. 



Teeth serrated at the margins. Snout more or less coniadlij prolongated to a length <if ahuat lialf that of the 



head. First dorsal fin nearer to the ventral fins than to the jieetoral, beginning about half-way between the tip of 



the snout and the base of the caudal fin". Coloration above of a blackish or grayish blue, underneath white. 



Sijn. rXavAog, .(Elian., Anim. Nat., lib. I, cap. XVI, p. 22. 

 Galeus glancus, Rond., De Pise, p. .S78; Willughb., Hist. 

 Pise, p. 49. Squalus fossula triangulari in extreino dorso, 

 foraminibus nnllis ad oculos, Art., Ichtk., Gen., p. 09; 

 Syn., p. 98. 

 Squalus glaucus, Lm., Sijst. Nat., ed. X, toiii. I, p. 2.3.5; 

 Bl., Naturg. Fisch. DeutsM., pt. Ill, p. 78, tab. LXXXVI ; 

 Retz., Fna 6'uec. Lin., p. 306; Blvlle {Carcltarinus), 

 Bull. Sc. Soc. Philoni. Paris, 1816, p. 121 (+ C. roam- 

 leus, ibid., cfr Fne Franc, I, Poiss., pp. 90 — 92); Cuv. 

 (snbg. Carchavias), R'cjn. .Anim., cd. I, Kmi. II, p. 126; 



Yarr., Brit. Fish., ed. 1, vol. II, p. 381; ed. 2, vol. II, 

 p. 498; BoNAr., Iconogr. Fna Ital., Pesci, tab. 133, fig. 2; 

 MOLL.. Hlb (Carcharias, subg. Prionodon), Playio.^t., p. 36, 

 tab. 11 ( + C. liirundaceus ex Val., p. 37); Couch, Fisli. 

 Brit, hi., vol. I, p. 28, tab. VI; DOM., Hist. Nat. Poiss. 

 (su. a Buff.), torn. I, p. 353; Barb. Boo., Cap., Pei.i: 

 Plngiost., p. 17; Gthr, Cat. Brit. Mus., Fish., vol. VIII, 

 p. 364; MoR., Hist. Nat. Poiss., toni. I, p. 329; M6b., 

 HcKE, Fi.K'l). Osts.. p. 150; .Jonn., (iiLii. (Carcliarinus), 

 Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 16, p. 22; Day (Carcharias), 

 Fish. Gt. Brit., /ret., vol. II, ).. 289, tab. CLII; Coll., 



" Tbe distance between the beginning of the first dorsal tin and the upper transverse notches on the peduncle of the tail is in our 

 young specimen 91 % of that between the same fin and the tip of the snout, which latter distance is equal to that between the anterior 

 angle of the pectoral fin and the beginning of the anal fin. In (dder Blue Sliarks the last-mentioned distance is even relatively somewhat 

 greater. 



