Long-tailed Shark. 



[Aug. 1, 



foon as the men were able to approach 

 near enough, they ftunned it by beating 

 it about tlie head ^vith pieces of wood ; 

 but, in fpite of all theii- eftbrts, I {-aw it 

 alive on the follouing m ruing, and the 

 marks of their blows were not then vi- 

 fiblc. 



There has not, in the memory of man, 

 been fcen on this coaft any fhark of the 

 prefent fpecies fo large as this. 



Some years ago a few individuals were 

 caught, but none of them were bigger than 

 a tolerable-fized falmon. They generally 

 follow the flioals of mackrel and her- 

 rings, on which they chiefly feed, and 

 amongll which they fometimes commit 

 fuch havoc, as entirely to drive them/ 

 away from the iliores they had approach- 

 ed. The iilhernien confeqiiently hold 

 them in great deteftation. 



The mouth and the teeth of the long- 

 tailed fliark are fo fmall, that I know not 

 how to credit the general notion ihat it 

 will frequently attack, o^'ercome, and de- 

 vour, that ftrong and active animal the 

 grampus. .Several feamcn, however, at 

 dirt'eient times, have afl'erted to me that 

 they have feeii the two animals engaged 

 in combat. If this is fail't, there can 

 be little doubt that the graimnis has 

 been the oft'endcr, and that the fiiark lias 

 merely acted on 'the defenfive. It has 

 certainly fufticient power to defend itfclf 

 againft the onfet of a grampus, fince a 

 flroke of its tail muft be very violent, 

 and this is the weapon that it always cm- 

 ploys againft its toes. 1 have heard fai- 

 iors declare, that a blow fi-om this wea- 

 pon may fometimes be heard in a liill and 

 calm night to the difiauce of nearly a 

 league. 



It has been generally faid that the 

 long-tailed Ihark is very unplettfant to 

 approach on account of tlie fetid odour 

 which id'ues from its body. In the indi- 

 vidual above-mentioned there was not, 

 however, any unpleiifant fmell whatever. 

 Even when the body was open'ed the 

 fmcU was not more otlenhve than what 

 might be fuppofed to ilVue from the open- 

 ing of any large animal. The flefli was 

 firm and white, and, as I was informed, 

 by no means bad eating. 



'I he heart was triangular, and fmall. 

 The liver confided of two uncr|ual lobes, 

 of which the longell was about two feet 

 and a half in ienirth : itapjeared to con- 

 tain a very confidcrable quantity of oil. 

 The cp<o[.h<L'us wa.s wide, and the fto- 

 mach finall, but peculiarly mufcuiar. On 

 tl^p interior coat of the ftr>niach there 

 were numerous fmall and whiiiili Liobules. 



The intcfiines were fliort. The gall- 

 bladder was large, and lituated at the di- 

 vifion of the lobes of tlie liver. The dia- 

 phragm was triangular, and the kidnies 

 were blackiili. Tlie five branchiae on 

 each fide of the body were long, and at- 

 tached to fcven ftrong caitihiges, which 

 were very vifible through the Ikin. 



The following were the exaft dimen- 

 fions of this animal. 



From the extremity of the muzzle ft. inch. 

 to the end of the tail, - 11 6 

 Greated girth, which \'\ as in front 



of the (iril dorfal fin, - 3 6 



From the extremity of the muzzle 

 to the bafe of the firll dorfal 

 fin, .... 26 



From the extremity of the mu7?le 

 to tlie bafe of the fecond dorfal 

 fin, _ _ - _ 4 8 



From the extremity of the muzzle 

 to the upper part of the origin 

 of the tail, - - - 5 9 



From the extremity of the muzzle 



to the bafe of ti;c pci'lorallins, 1 5 

 From the extremity of the muzzle 



to the bafe of the \eutra! fins, 3 7 

 From tiic extremity of the muzzle 

 to the origin of the tail be- 

 neath, - - - - 5 6 

 Length of the bafe of the firft 



dorfal fin, - _ - 

 Height of this fin, 

 Length of the perioral fins, 

 Length of the ventral fins, - 

 Cirth of the body near the tail, 

 Length of the tail. 

 From the point of the lower lobe 

 pei-jiendicularly to the upper 

 part of the tail, - - 12 



Wm. Brx(;rEY. 

 Chriftchurch, Httntx, Mat/ 1, 1806. 



For the Monthhj Mu^tizine. 

 PLAN of a Musr.tf.t for an ikstitutiow 

 intended fo diff'tifc a taste for sciex- 

 TIFIC iNQi'inv. 



IT is fuppofed to be the intent of this 

 Inftitution to lay before the public, at 

 certain periods of the year, the rudi- 

 ments of every branch of human know- 

 ledge ; to invite to the purfuit of fcience, 

 by pointing; out whatever is molt intereft- 

 ing, ufeful, or delightful ; to clear the 

 way of fcience, by marking the diftinc- 

 tion between doubtful terms and clear 

 ideas, between experience and hypothe- 

 fis, between fact and inference. 



Sciences relating to mind, morals, or 

 political conce. ns, do not require the ex- 

 hibition of phylical objects or of experi- 

 ments ; but the truths of phyfiology can- 

 not 



