1152 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



in pairs, at certain intervals. In the course of a month 

 a female Nurse Hound has been seen to lay 18 eggs. 

 The eggs deposited early in April were hatched at the 

 beginning of December (Coste, Comptes Rendus, Ja- 

 nuary 21, 1867). 



The systematic name of the genus, Scylliorhinus, 

 was coined by Blainvili>e in 1816 and must be re- 

 cognised, as Jordan and Gilbert" have proposed, in 

 deference to the accejrted laws of nomenclature, although 

 the Cuvierian name of Sei/Uium has hitherto been in 



general use. The Swedish name of Bodhajar (Red 

 Sharks) is originally a Danish rendering, introduced 

 by Kroyer, of the French Roussettes, an alhision to 

 the red coloration prevalent in the family, which cha- 

 racteristic is further distinguished by its maculation 

 from the plainer dress of other Sharks. Nilsson call- 

 ed these Sharks dogr/fiskar, an adaptation of the Eng- 

 lish word. 



Of the genus 8 or i) species are known from tro- 

 pical and temperate seas. 



THE NURSE HOUND. 



SCYLLIORHINUS STELLARIS. 

 Fig. 336. 



Nasal valvules separated exactly in front of the mouth by a space equal in width to the height of the hindmost 

 gill-opening. Length of the head about 19 — 17 % of that of the body and greater than the distance between the 

 anterior margins of the tiro dorsal fns. Distance between the p)eetoral fitis and the tip of the snout at least "'5 

 of that between the first dorsal and the same point. Distance between the ventral fins and the tip of the snout 

 somewhat greater than that between the first dorsal and the eyes; their inner posterior corners obtuse, scarcely 

 elongated behind. Length of the base of the anal fin greater than or at least equal to the distance betu-een the 

 two dorsal fins. L^ength of the caudal fin from the beginning of the inferior lobe more than ''4 of the length 

 of the body. Greatest depth of the body about 10 — 12 %'\ least depth, in front of the caudal fin, about 4^!^ — -5%, 

 of the length of the body. Coloration above grayish brown, sometimes shading into yellow or red, below white. 

 Back, sides, and: fins, the paired ones even underneath, strewn with comparatively large roundish spots ■ — • some 

 {more constant) blue-black, others (sometimes indistinct or n-anting) whitish — about equal in size to the gill- 

 openings, smaller on the head and the forepart of the back. 



Si/n. Galeus stellaris 7innor, Belon., A'at., Vivers. Poiss., p. 65. 

 Cauicula sa.vatilis, Rondel., De Pise, p. 383. Catubis 

 viaximus, Willughb.. Hist. Pise, p. 63; Ray, Sijnops. 

 Method. Pise, ji. i'2. I'iqualus einereus, pinnis veutralibus 

 discretis. Art., Ichtlnjol.. Gen. Pise, p. 69; Syn. Pise, 

 p. 97. 



^tjualus stellaris, LlN., Si/st. Nat., ed. X, toiii. I. p. 235; 

 Flmng (Scyllium), Brit. Atiiin., p. 166; Bonap., Iconogr. 

 Fna Ital., Pesci, tab. 131, fig. 2; Thomps., Nat. Mist. Irel., 

 vol. IV, p. 247; Gthr, Cat. Brit. Miis., Fi.^h., vol. VIII, 

 p. 402; Malm., Ofvers. Vet. Akad. Forli. 1875, No. 10, 

 p. 33; Gbgs, Boh. Fna, p. 622; Lillj., <SV., Norg. Fna, 

 Fisk., vol. Ill, p. 652; Car., Prodr. Fine Medit., vol. II. 

 p. 508. 



•'^fjualus canicula, BrU'nn. (iiec Lin.), hhthijol. Massil., p. 4; 

 Bi,. (p. p.), Naturg. AiisL Fisch., part. I, p. 16, tab. CXII. 



tiqualus (.Scgllium) catiilus ( + 'i!q. stellaris), Cuv., Eegn. Anim., 

 ed. I. torn. II. p. 124; Yarb. (iScyllium catuliis, nee Lin.'), 



Brit. Fish., ed. 1, vol. II, p. 373; ed. 2, vol. II, p. 

 493; MOLL., Hle, Plagiost., p. 9. tab. 7; DUmer., Hist. 

 Nat. Poiss. (sii. a Buff.), toni. I, p. 316; Barb. Boc, 

 Cap., Pei.v. Plagiost. Portiig., p. 11; Mob., Hist. Nat. 

 Poiss. Fr., toin. I, p. 280; Day, Fish. Gt. Brit., Irel., 

 vol. II, p. 312. 



Nnrse Hound, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isl., vol. I, p. 11, tab. I. 



The Nurse Hound attains a length of at least 

 12'/., dm. (Bocage and Capello; according to Day 

 1.5 dm.); but so large specimens appear to be rare. 

 .\s a rule the length varies between about 5 and 7 

 dm. It is strictly a Mediterranean fish, dispersed in 

 the Atlantic to Ireland and England. Sometimes it 

 strays north to the Orkney and Shetland Islands; and 



■■ Bull. U. S. Nat. Mils., No. 16, p. 869. 



' Soinetiine.i. according to Douerlei.n (Man. Ittiol. Medit., fasc. II, p. 23), about 14 %. 



