I'OHBEAGLE. 



1141 



opposite to each othoi the former, however, a little 



further back, at a distance from tlie first dorsal measur- 

 ing about 28 — 26 % of the len<jtli of the body. They 

 (U'e rather small, their bases measiiriiii;' ai)out ' - — ' ,. of 

 tliat of tlie tirst dorsal tin. Their anterior (upper) angle 

 is rounded, the posterior acutely elongated. The distance 

 l)et\veen the anal tin and the tip of the snout is nearly 

 ■ I of the iengtli of the body. The superior lobe nf 

 the caudal tin, which is of the crescent-shaped form 

 tiiat characterizes most of the niendx'rs of this famih', 

 measures about \ ., of the remaining length of the body, 

 and is strongly curved in an upward direction, with a 

 pointed and exceedingly small terminal lobe. The in- 

 ferior lobe, on the other hand, is larger than in most 

 of the other Sharks, at least somewhat more than half 

 as long as the superior. The pectoral tins are from 

 l'„ times to nearly twice as long as the anterior mar- 

 gin of tiie first dorsal tin, and their length is ratlier 

 more than ' ,; — ' , of the entire length of the ])ody or 

 about equal to the distance from their base to the cor- 

 ner of tile mouth. Their lireadth is somewhat more 

 tlian half tiieir lengtli. The ventral tins are small, with 

 tlie outer angle obtuse and the posterior acute. Their 

 length tiiroughout tiie inner margin (the base together 

 with the posterioi- lobe) is about 8' ^ % of the length 

 of the body. Tliey are set a little behind the middle 

 of the liody. 



Besides the pterygopodia of the males — wiiicii in 

 a specimen 22' ^ dm. long were 247 ram. in length 

 and 25 mm. in diameter — Sunpevall remarked that 

 it appeared to liim as if another external sexual cha- 

 racter were expressed in the form of the second dorsal 

 and the anal fins, which seemed to have the pos- 

 terioi' tip niucli more elongated in the males than in 

 tlie females. 



riic coloration is above of a blue-black gra\. un- 

 derneath white, tiie posterior angles of the dorsal tins 

 being also whitish. The iris is dark brown. 



Tlie Porbeagle is somewhat variable in form. In a 

 number of cases, both male and female, the body is 

 rather slender (greatest depth '- — '^ of the entire 

 length), the dorsal tin comparatively high and rectilinear, 

 the snout short and narrow (length of the snout in adult 

 specimens about ' - of the distance between its tip and 

 the pectoral tins), the inferior caudal lobe ' ^ as long as 

 the superior, or even more, and tlie iiindmost gill- 

 opening distinctly oblique. This form is ajjparently 

 the commoner. Other specimens present the appearance 



shown in our figure (Plate IT, fig. 1). They arc; tiiieker 

 (greatest depth up to ' -, of the entire length), with 

 somcw iial larger iiead and thicker, longer snout (length 

 of the snout up to '/,, of the distance between its tip 

 and tiie pectoral tins), with tlie inferinr caudal lol)e little 

 more than half as long as the superior, and with the 

 hindmost gill-oiiening somewhat less oblique. This latter 

 firm seems in general to be characteristic of youth. 

 ( (ur figure was drawn in Bohusliln from a young spe- 

 cimen I.')' 3 tlm. long. But tiiat tliis form lias repre- 

 sentatives even among full-grown Poi'beagles, seems 

 probable from the descriptions given by the authors 

 cited above (in the synonymy) of Squnlus moncnsis, 

 whereof Yakhell mentions a specimen 29 dm. long. 



The I'emaining alterations of growth consist prin- 

 cipally in the relative reduction with age of the snout 

 and eyes and the furnishing of the teeth with basal 

 cusjis, which are wanting in the smallest specimens, liut 

 in Porbeagles 18 dm. long are already quite distinct. 



The Porbeagle is the only one among the large 

 Sharks that appears with any frequency in the south 

 of the Cattegat; but it is far from common on the coasts 

 of Sweden. It occasionally makes its way through the 

 Sound into the Baltic, and it has been met with, ac- 

 cording to Mela, even in the vicinity of Aland. Along 

 the Norwegian coast it occurs upi to Finniark, where it 

 is found rather often, according to Collett, except to 

 the extreme north. Its oi-dinary name in Norway, as 

 in Bohusliln, is Hahrand; but it is said to be some- 

 times coupled with the Greenland Shark under the name 

 of Iliimdy. As it had no Danish name, Kroyek called 

 it Sillliqj (Herring Shark). The Porbeagle is dispersed 

 throughout the North Sea, though it is not so common 

 there as on the west coasts of the United Kingdom and 

 France; and its greatest development seems to be at- 

 tained in the Mediterranean. On the other side of the 

 Atlantic it has been found oft' the east coast of the 

 United States; and according to JU'lleu and Henee's 

 determination of tlie jaws sent by BCrgek from Japan 

 to the Museum of Leyden, the Porbeagle also occurs in 

 the Pacific off' the Japanese coasts. Haast includes 

 the species among the fishes of New Zealand. 



The ap])earance of the Porbeagle is even more re- 

 pulsive than that of other Sharks. It emits an ex- 

 tremely disagree;d)Ie, fetid smell, and the surface of the 

 body, which is j'ielding and at se\eral spots flabby, 

 acquires a dirty look from the secretion of tough mu- 

 cus. This is especially copious at all the orifices, and 



