1142 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



it was this uncle;iiint'ss, wliicii is siiared bv tlie whole 

 jjhalanx, that sunrgested the ancient name of S(jiiidits". 

 Furthermore, the ])rofi]e of the Porbeagle indicates far 

 jiiore stupidity in combination with ravenousness than 

 that of other Sharks. The Porbeagle is said to be a 

 more rapid swimmer than most of them, a statement 

 apparentl}- borne out by the powerful caudal fin and 

 the keeled, robust tail, which in ueai-ly all fishes is the 

 principal organ of locomotion. 



The food of the Porbeagle consists chiefly of fishes 

 and Cephalopods. The Herring-shoals in particular 

 suffer greatly from its depredations; and several Por- 

 beagles often join company in the chase. Like the 

 preceding species these Sharks too sometimes become 

 entangled in Herring or Pilchard nets. Deep-sea lines 

 do not escape their ravages (Thompson and Day); and 

 many a narrative relates how the Porbeagle dashes up 

 to secure the Whiting, Cod, or other fish which the 

 fisherman has hooked. 



Of the breeding of tiie Porbeagle not much is 

 known. The j'oung are considerably developed at birth. 

 The foetus described by Gunnerus, which was taken 

 out of the mother-tish in summer, measured "nearly 

 three-quarters of a Zealand ell" (47 cm.) in length. 



SuNDEVALL examined a young specimen 74 cm. long, 

 and found that every external trace of the navel, which 

 is situated in the Sharks between the pectoral fins, had 

 disappeared. Hence he concluded that the length of 

 the young at birth must l)e between these two dimen- 

 sions. In a female cited by Pennant oidv two foetuses 

 were found. 



Tile Porl)eagle is not much sought after by Scan- 

 dinavian fishermen, for the liver is small and lean, with 

 a scanty yield of oil, and it is onh' for this sake that 

 the large Sharks are taken. By accident, however, or 

 in the absence of better fish, the Porbeagle is caught 

 by the Norwegian Shark-fishermen. In the south of 

 the Cattegat and in the Sound it is scarcely ever taken 

 except when it entangles itself in the nets set for other 

 fishes. The skin is fairly well adapted for the polishing 

 of articles of fine workmanshij), in wood or horn for 

 instance, and it is also applied to this purpose. The 

 hard scales withstand a consideralile amount of wear. 



The flesh of this species, like tliat of many other 

 Sharks, has a disagreeable smell, and it is hardly eaten 

 in Sweden; but in Italy and Spain it enjoys a better 

 reputation. 



(SUNDEVALL, SmITT.) 



CxENus CETORHINUS'. 



Teeth numerous, small, conieal. BritnvhhiJ ((nhcs fiiruislivd icUli Jialecn-Jike, fine, hniq, and dense f/ill-raJiers. 



Anterior i/ilI-ope)iiiif/s extended across the ureater part of the sides of the bodi/. Tail irith transrerse t/rooves in 



front of the eaadal fin and irith the sides longitudiriaUii carinated. Caudal fin crescent-shaped. 



The genus of the Basking Shark occupies within 

 the Lamnoid family a position analogous to that of the 

 Hounds in the preceding family; but in the Basking 

 Shark, tlie solitary species of the geiuis, the reduction 

 of the ja-\v-teeth has advanced still furthei", these organs 

 having scarcely retained any function, at least in the 

 capacity of Shark-teeth. The genus conseciuently does 

 not belong to those commonly known as ])redator}' 

 fishes; but it contains the most gigantic piscine forms. 

 As we have mentioned above, it shares with another 

 genus of huge fishes (Bhinodou) a manner of life si- 

 milar to that of the large whales. Notwithstanding its 

 own gi'eat size, it lives exclusively on minute creatures, 



which it strains oft' from the seawater l)y means of its 

 gill-rakers. This manner of procuring food calls for a 

 wide mouth and a capacious pharynx, with room for 

 the filtering apparatus; and herewitli is connected the 

 great width of the branchial arches and apertures. In 

 the remaining characters we easily recognise a form 

 akin to the Porbeagle. The most important external 

 difference to be found on comparison is that in the ' ' 

 Basking Shark the second dorsal fin stands entirely in 

 front of the perpendicular from the begiiniing of the IJ 

 anal fin or nearly so. * 



The name of Cetorhinus means Whale-Shark, and 

 has reference in the first place to the dimensions of 



From the Latin squalor, filth. 



Blnvlle, Bull. Soc. Philoni. Paris, 1816, p. 121. 



