iii.\-.siiai;k. 



ii;^,7 



6'i/iialus Vidjies, Gmel., •Hi/st. Nat. I.iii., eii. XIII. toni. 1, p. 



1496; Mitch., Trans. Pliil., Lil. Soc. N. York, vol. 1 (1816), 



p. 482; Blnvi.le (Carcharinus), Bull. Sc. Soc. Pliilom. 



1810, p. 121; Cl'v. (snbg. Carcharian), I^h/ii. Atiim.. >-d. 1, 



torn, a, p. 120; Yarr., Brit. Fish., ed. 1, vol. II, p. .'iTll; 



lioNAP. (Alopias ex Rafin.), Iconogr. Fna Ital., Pesci, tnb. 



134, fig. 1; ilOLh., IIle (Alopecias), Plagio.'it., p. 14; Couch 



(Carcliarias), Hist. Fish. Brit. 1st., vol. I, p. 37, tab. VII; 



DCm. (Alopias), Hist. Nat. Poifs. (sii. a Buff.), toin. I, p. 



421; Barb. Boc, Cap., Peix. Plagiost., p. 14; GrHii (/l/o/)e- 



cias), Cat. Brit. Miis., Fish., vol. VIII, p. 393; Com.., Forli. 



Vid. Selsk. Clirnia 1874, TilliEgsh., p. 208; 1879, No. 1, p. 



102; MoR. (Alopias), Hist. Nat. Poiss. Fr.. torn. 1, p. 287; 



DooEBL., Man. Ittiof. Medit., fasc. II. p. .')2; Hay, Fi.^h. Gt. 



Brit., Inl., vol. II, p. 300, tab. CLVU; I'KTKRSK.N, Viil. 



Meddel. Nnlurli. For. Kbhvn 1884, p. ll'iO; Day, /"/s/,. India 



(Suppl.), p. 810; LiLLJ., Sv., Norg. Fna, Fisk., vol. Ill, p. 



027; Car.. Prodr. Fiicf Medit., vol. II, p. 507. 

 Atopia.'i .Macrourns. Rafin., Caratl. Ale. Nuov. Gen.. Spec. p. 12. 



Tlie Fox-Shark attains a length of at least 5 in. 

 (MoiiEAu) and a weight of 300 kilo. (Dodekleix.) 

 BucKLAND cites" a specimen, taken by Mackerel-iisher- 

 men from Yarmouth, 44 dm. long, 17\/'„ dm. in girth, 

 and weighing 500 lbs. (226^< kilo.), and another* 

 measuring 45 dm., taken by Herring-tisherincn from 

 Folkestone. 



Its geographical extension includes the Atlantic, 

 Indian, and Pacitic Oceans. Between the Cape of Good 

 Hope and the Shetland Islands lies its Atlantic home, 

 and in the Mediterranean it has been known time out 

 of mind. Its comparatively large eyes suggest that it 

 is more of a deei)-sea tish than the other members of 

 the family; but throughout its range it attracts atten- 

 tion at the surface in its pursuit of schooling fishes. 

 The long caudal tin, ^vhich often projects out of the 

 water on such occasions, has not only conferred upon 

 the species its name, but has also given rise to the 

 most fabulous accounts of its ravages. With its tail 

 it lashes the waves and deals blows on the surface of 

 the water that resound like a cannon-shot. Dolphins 

 frightened by this noise have been seen to take to pre- 

 cipitate flight. It is quite credible that a whale may 

 now and then have shown the same timidity. But from 

 these observations, and owing to a confusion with the 

 grampus (Ona i/hidiafor), whose dorsal tin also appears 

 above the surface, it has been concluded that the Fox- 

 • Shark is the relentless persecutor of wlialcs and dol- 

 phins, though its dentition is far too weak for the 

 achievements ascribed to it. "It is sometimes," says 



BucKEAXi), "called the 'thresher shark,' because it is 

 .said to iiitlict chastisement on the whale, though 1 can 

 find no real authority for this being the case; nor can 

 I see why the shark should flog the whale. The tail 

 of the skate can, as 1 know to my cost, inflict severe 

 wounds, and the tail of the sting-ray contains a dagger 

 which is e^•en more formidable still; I fancy, therefore, 

 that the tail of the fox-shark is used by the owner as 

 a weapon of defence, for if he chooses to use it, it 

 would act like a waggoner's whip, .\gain, I think it 

 just }»ossible that, whereas we all know we can drive! 

 tish by long jioles dashed suddenly into and about in 

 the water, so the fox-shark may use his tail to splash 

 about and drive the frightened herrings or mackerel 

 into the position where they will be most handy for 

 him to catch and swallow. I should imagine an un- 

 frightened luaekerel to be a difficult thing to catch 

 when swimming at libertv in the sea. If, however, 

 the fox-shark comes lashing aljout with his tail, he and 

 his comrades would become confused, and while making 

 up their minds what to do and \vhere to go, they 

 would suddenly find themselves going down the shark's 

 throat. One thing is quite certain, his long tail would 

 enable him to turn smartly round the corners and as- 

 tonish unsuspecting nati\'es." 



In the stomach of a Fox-Shark 41 dm. long Buck- 

 land found 27 Mackerel; and Herrings are devoured 

 with equal avidity. Accordingly it happens often enough 

 that the Fox-Shark gets entangled in the drift-nets shot 

 for Mackerel and Herrings or in the tackle of the Pil- 

 chard-fisherman. On the other hand, it never takes a 

 hook, which apparently proves that on the whole it is 

 less rapacious than the other .Sharks. 



In the Mediterranean the Fox-Shark gives birth to 

 its young during summer. In August Dddeulein se- 

 cured a young specimen 27 cm. long. During October 

 BuCKLAND found in a lai-ge female from Folkestone an 

 egg 76 ram. long and 11.'! nun. broad, on its backward 

 passage through the oviduct, while the ovaries con- 

 tained thousands of smaller eggs, from the size of a 

 hazel-nut to that of a pin's head. 



The Fox-Shark is, as we have mentioned, a stran- 

 ger in Seaiidina\ ian waters. A female 429 cm. long 

 was taken near Bergen on the 31st of August, 18()8, 

 and is described by Lilljebokg. In Bunde-Fjord, about 



" Land and Water, Jul.v 6, 1869, p. 608. 

 ' Nat. Hist. Brit. Fish., p. 221. 



