Remarks on the Natural History of Fishes. 339 
rather Spinar acanthias—picked dog fish. 
Eight pages are appropriated to the Carcharias vulgaris— 
white shark ; and its history is illustrated by a figure from Strack, 
while its appearance in our waters remains to be proved. 
The Carcharias glaucus—blue shark—is evidently confound- 
ed with the scyllium punctatum—mackerel shark—a common 
species with us. 
A species of Zygana is found in our waters ; but as we have 
no proof given us of its being the vudgaris, our species must be 
seen and described before it is acknowledged to be that species ; 
and before we can receive the assertion in the pages before us, 
that “scarcely a season passes by, in which fine specimens are 
hot taken in the vicinity of Nahant, about the Cape, &c.” To be 
sure, we are told that “but a little time since, a sailor offered one, 
tecently caught, for sale, which he wheeled through the streets of 
ston on a barrow, attracting crowds of people who gazed upon 
it in perfect wonder ;” but it was not the specimen of which we 
have a figure, surely, which created such surprise in this good 
city, because this is a copy from a German plate! 
f the species here registered as Nelache maximus—basking 
shark—J have not been able to obtain the slightest information, 
and have no doubt that it is the Somniosus brevipinna, (Le 
Sueur) nurse or sleeper—described from a specimen taken by the 
fishermen at Marblehead. 
That a species of Torpedo exists: on our coast, we have un- 
doubted authority for believing; but as no naturalist has as yet 
Seen it, the species remains to be distinguished more definitely. 
We have here an inaccurate figure of the Vorpedo vulgaris 
copied from Strack to illustrate our fish, when that species has 
been much more correctly exhibited by Pennant in his “ British 
Zoology,” 
Strack is again called upon fora plate of the Rava clavata- 
thornback. The species called thornback in Massachusetts, I 
have not had a proper opportunity to examine, having never seen 
More than one specimen, and that previous to my determination 
to describe our fishes from recent specimens ; if I am not in error, 
however, it will prove to be the Raia radiata—starry ray. 
A species of Trygon is occasionally seen on our coast; but its 
characters have not yet been pointed out, so that it is premature to 
They have undoubtedly been mistaken for the Squalus canis or 
