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PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 31 



ing San Francisco. Abundant at San Pedro and San Diego and not 

 rare at Santa Barbara. It lays its eggs in January. They are enveloped 

 in large cylindrical egg-cases, which are spirally twisted and without 

 tentacles. This shark reaches a length of 2J feet, and is used for no 

 j)uri)ose. 



Family SCYLLIID^. 



8. Catulus ventriosus (Garman) J. & G. — Ground Shark; Puffer SharJc. 



From Monterey Bay southward. Abundant at Santa Barbara in win- 

 ter, where it lives in the kelp, and is taken in large numbers in lobster- 

 pots set for the "crawfish" {PanuUrus interruptus), it being very fond 

 of the salt fish used as bait. It is rarely taken in the summer, and it 

 perhaps visits shallow water in the spawning season only, retiring to 

 deeper w^ater in summer. The egg-cases are extruded in February. 

 They are flatfish, oblong, quadrangular, with very long tentacles at the 

 angles. This shark reaches a length of 2J feet, and is valueless. It is 

 remarkable for its habit of inflating its body by swallowing air, like a 

 Tetrodon. 



Family GALEOEHINID^. 



9. Miistelus hinnulus (Blainville) J. & G. — Dog Shark. 



(Mustelus californicus Gill.) 



From San Francisco southward. Very abundant at San Pedro and 

 San Diego, living chiefly in bays and lagoons and feeding upon Crustacea 

 and small fish. It has very little oil in its liver, and is used only for 

 crawfish bait and similar purposes. The young are sometimes salted 

 and dried by the Chinese, tied in bundles, and shipped inland to the 

 Chinese laborers on the railroads. They are not much valued even by 

 them. 



Most of the specimens seen were 2 to 2J feet in length, but two adult 

 females seen at San Pedro were 5 feet long and weighed about 40 pounds 

 each. 



10. Rhinotriacis henlei Gill.^ — Dog Shark. 



Humboldt Bay to Monterey. Two adults 2^ feet long, with the young 

 inside and nearly ready for delivery, were taken at Monterey in April. 

 The embryo is connected to the uterus by a i^lacenta, as in Bhinotnacis 

 (Pleuracromylon) Iccvls, with which the present species is doubtless con- 

 generic. Many young examples about a foot long were obtained of the 

 Chinese fishermen at Potrero, near San Francisco, in August, and 

 numerous others were seen in Humboldt Bay. This species is chiefly 

 used for bait. 



11. Triads semifasciatus Girard. — Leopard Shark; Catfish; Cat Shark. 



From Cape Mendocino southwarcf; very abundant in aU bays and 

 along sandy shores. The adults enter the lagoons in summer to bring 

 forth their young, and hundreds of them are sometimes taken at once 



