122 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 



of pectoral, and third largest, or about equal to length of snout. 

 Spiracle minute, supero-lateral on head posterior to eye space 

 about half of interorbital width. Body covered with fine shagreen 

 denticles of uniform size, and all rather rough. Origin of first 

 dorsal nearer tip of snout than last vertebra, or a little nearer 

 that of ventral than base of pectoral, fin low, rather rounded, 

 its apex near base of its posterior margin, and posterior blunt 

 point y/2 in interorbital space. Second dorsal but little smaller 

 than first, similar, well before ventral, and inserted about first ^/^ 

 in space between origin of first dorsal and last vertebra. Anal 

 about equal to second dorsal, and inserted about opposite poster- 

 ior basal portion of same. Caudal rather small, greatest width 

 of upper lobe about 7 in its length. Height of lower caudal lobe 

 about 2 4/^ in its base. Pectoral rather broad, short, its insertion 

 but little nearer that of first dorsal than corner of mouth, and its 

 greatest width about 17^ in its length. Ventral broad, rounded, 

 and inserted a little nearer first dorsal than second. No claspers. 

 Color of dried skin dull gray-brown, paler below, or lighter gray 

 on lower surfaces of pectoral and ventral. Teeth white. Length 

 8 feet 9 inches. Beesley's Point. This is the example quoted 

 from Dr. Abbott in the Report for 1905. 



A large shark taken in the summer of 1888 was evidently this 

 species. It was calculated to have weighed not less than 600 

 pounds, and measured 14 feet in length. When opened it con- 

 tained I to 13^ bushels of fish. It was believed to occur in the 

 locality, near Palermo, in Cape May county, for 3 or 4 years. 



It is very probable that some of the large sharks seen about 

 Cape May, though few have been taken which measured over 

 8 feet in length, may be this species. They are usually called 

 "shovel-nosed shark." Though one hears the name "mackerel 

 shark," it is evidently confused with this species at times. An 

 example about 2 feet long was found in one of the pounds at 

 Green Creek, Cape May county, on June 9th, 1907. It was of a 

 dull sandy-brown color, generally with belly and lower surface of 

 head whitish. The species was reported to occur occasionally 

 there, and sometimes to reach a large size. 



Reported at Barnegat Pier on July 30th, 1907. Reported at 

 Ocean City, and said tO' reach a length of from 8 to 10 feet. 



