THE 



MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 



No. 146] 



AUGUST 1, 180(5. [l of Vol 22. 



The ufttal Sf PPLF.MEXTARY NcMiiER uos publij/ied 071 the 25th of July, containing 

 Retkospects oJ' English, French, and German Literature, Indexes, SjC. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



For the Monthly Magazine. 



THE LONG-TAILED SHARK, OR TURESHEr . 

 (Sjualus Vulfes of Linnaui.) 



IN the evening of the 16th of June, 

 1805, the muckrel-filhei's neRrChrifc- 

 church were furprifed, on hawhiig one of 

 thgir nets, to find in it an animal fo hirge 

 and powerful, that, till it was completely 

 landed, they could not believe it to be 

 any other than a porpelVe. It however 

 proved to be a long-tailed (liark, which 

 meafurcd in extreme length eleven feet 

 and a half, and in its greateft girth, 

 which w-as jull before the dorfal *in, throe 

 feet and a half It weighed very nearly 

 two hundred pounds. 



The muzzle was fliort, and fomewhat 

 pointed ; and the mouth, which was by 

 no means large, was iituated cjuite under 

 the head. The teeth were lb fmall, that 

 the largeft of the whole fcarcely exceed- 

 ed a quarter of an inch in length. They 

 ,'•■ ■ were triangular, and ranged in three 

 rows in front of the upper, and in four 

 "■^"^ fbVvsin front of the lowers jaw. At the 

 ^■- 'fides of the mouth, both above and be- 

 * low, there were only two rows. The 

 lower teeth were much' Iharper than the 

 others, and their, points had an inclina-. 

 tion towards the throat. The tongue was 

 remarkably liard. The nollrils, were 

 , Ibniewhat in the fliape of an Italic S : 

 they wore about half an inch afunder, 

 fituated in front of the mouth, and about 

 two inches from the eyes, 'i'he eyes were 

 within four inches of the extremity of 

 the muzzle. On each fide of the body, 

 and fituated near the bafe of the pc6t.o- 

 ral fins, were the five branchia; or breath- 

 ing apertures. The fins were har'd, ci\x- 

 tiiaginous, and fmooth. The firll dqrl'al 

 fin was nearly eciui-difiant bctuixt the 

 nofe and the ori^'in of the tail. It was 

 an auia/ingly firm and firong fin, of a 

 triangular lliape, and nearly equilateral : 

 it flood perfedtly upright, and could not 

 •be cloffd upon the back like the dorfal 

 Jln> of Kiafl otlier fifh. The fccond dor- 

 MOMHLY M.io., No. 146. 



fal fin was fituated near the origin of the 

 tail : it was very fmall, and Iharp-point- 

 ed, but not fpinous. The anal fin was 

 Iituated immediately under this, and was 

 about the fame fize. The ventral fins 

 were almoft united at their bafe, and 

 they extended backward in a direction 

 parallel to each other. The tail was ex- 

 tiemely remarkable : its upper lobe had 

 much the Ihape of a fabre, and was fix 

 or feven times the length of the lower 

 lobe. The foniier, in the individual that 

 I am defcribing, was not more than two 

 inches in depth, and one-third of an inch 

 at the extremity. Its lower edge was 

 thin, and every part of it had a furpri- 

 fing degree of flrength, firmnefs, and 

 elalticity. To the touch it was nearly as 

 hard as the ftouteft leather, but it was 

 niucli more elaftic. The Ikin of the bo- 

 dy was very fmooth when the hand was 

 paflTed along it in a dirci^tion from the 

 head to the tail ; but when it was rubbed 

 the contrary way, a flight degree of 

 roughnefs was to bg felt. ; The lateral 

 line was llraight, ami extended troin the 

 head to within a little diftance of the end 

 of the tail. , , . , i . , 



All the upper parts of the body were 

 of a cinereous blue colonic :which, when 

 the animal was firft takon out of the wa- 

 ter, had fome reljemblaace to the bloom 

 on a freih-gathered plum. ITie under 

 parts were wliite, but fpotted here and 

 iheie witli patches of alh-colour. - 



On prelfmg the body with the fingers, 

 the fleih felt -foft and elaliic, almoft as if 

 there Iwd been blubber immediately be- 

 neath the fkin. . ' i, 



The above animal w:as one. of three 

 which had. followed the lame llioal of 

 niackreh . It had be.en entangled in one 

 of the mackrel-ncts a few evenings before 

 it was caught, but it broke its way 

 Uirough and' efcapCd.. When it was the 

 fecond tiiile entangled, it did not Ihuggle 

 much 'till the net" grounded ; but' it then 

 beat about tlic witter and land- in the 

 molt violent 'tnaivner iiu.ngiuable. As 

 A foou 



