50 PICKED DOG. 



common Dogfish, but which may be known from tlie latter by 

 having its nostrils close to the snout, instead of being midway 

 between that and the mouth. Its colour is also different, and 

 that too in a remarkable way; for, as Lacepede observes, con- 

 trary to what is found in most fishes, and among the Sharks 

 more esjDecially, while the back is only dusky, the belly is very 

 dark, and almost black. This part is also distinguished by 

 having tubercles. It is a smaller fish than the British species, 

 and is found in the Mediterranean, but we have no means of 

 knowing what are its distinguishing habits, except that it 

 appears to be less a wanderer than the Picked Dog. It was 

 Linnseus who first definitely fixed the name of Acanthias to 

 the last-named fish, and Sj}iiiax to the other species, which has 

 not been taken in Britain. 



The Picked Dog is the smallest, but by far the most abundant 

 of British Sharks. It is found at all seasons on the coast of 

 every part of the United Kingdom, but in the greatest numbers 

 in the west and south; where at times they exist in such mul^ 

 titudes, as to occupy the full extent of sea for scores of miles; 

 and twenty thousand have been taken in a sean at one time, 

 without any apparent lessening of the numbers. Unlike other 

 Sharks, and almost all other fishes, it is not affected by cold 

 or heat in the severest seasons; and I have known them caught 

 when from severe cold every fish, except a straggling few of 

 the Gadoid family, as ling, cods, or haddocks, had gone for 

 shelter into deep water. 



From the numbers of these fish that are met with, it may be 

 concluded that this species is exceedingly prolific; and in this 

 respect they differ so far from the others which frequent our 

 coasts, that for nine or ten months in the year, the female 

 produces young almost every day; the eggs existing in the 

 formative organ to the amount of many scores at one time, and 

 descending in successive pairs into the two branches or horns 

 of the receptacle, as the former are excluded; and not un- 

 frequently their descent is by twos and threes on either side. 

 Sometimes a couple of young ones are seen attached to one 

 egg; and as their development is speedy, there is no possibility 

 of calculating the numbers which each female is capable of 

 producing in a season. 



The young ones, with teeth and jaws too feeble to assault 



