298 CHONDROPTERYGII. SHARK FAMILY. 



the tropics, where they are truly regarded as the 

 tyrants of the deep. The teeth are long, sharp, and 

 triangular, with projections and serratures on the 

 sides, arranged in a series of transverse rows and 

 looking backwards ; they form such a perfect cut- 

 ting apparatus, that, being moved by very power- 

 ful muscles, scarcely any edible substance can resist 

 their action. Well authenticated instances have 

 occurred of a shark having cut off a man's leg, nay, 

 it is even asserted, cut a human body in half, at a 

 single bite. A human body, almost in an entire 

 state, has been found in the stomach of a shark ; and 

 Miiller states that one was taken off the island of 

 St. Margaret, which weighed 1500 pounds, and 

 that the stomach contained the whole body of a 

 horse, which had probably been thrown overboard 

 from some ship. Substances are occasionally found 

 in the stomach which seem to have been swallowed 

 accidentally. One was caught last season near the 

 Isle of May, in the Firth of Forth, which contained 

 in its stomach a tin canister, which, upon being 

 opened, was found to be nearly filled with old coins ! 

 As the teeth are formed (excepting in two genera) 

 solely for seizing or tearing, the food is always 

 swallowed in a nearly entire state. 



Some members of the family are viviparous or 

 produce their young alive. Others bring forth their 

 young in a horny case which has generally the form 

 of a parallelogram, with long filamentous tendrils 

 attached to each corner, which are supposed to be 

 designed to fix it to fuci or other marine objects 



