304 CHONDROPTERYGII. SHARK FAMILY. 



dant place of resort in this country, it inflicts great 

 injury on the fishermen by destroying their nets and 

 devouring the fish entangled in them. 



^Elian, and various authors since his time, have 

 given many wonderful accounts of the great affec- 

 tion the Blue Shark evinces for its young ; among 

 others, that it will permit the small brood, when in 

 danger, to swim down its mouth, and take shelter 

 in its belly. Regarding this statement as confirmed 

 by the observations of Rondelet, Pennant sees no- 

 thing more incredible in it than that the young of 

 the Opossum should seek an asylum in the ventral 

 pouch of its parent ! It must be admitted that 

 living young have been found in the stomach of this 

 shark, but the proverbial voracity of its race con- 

 strains us to believe that this was a compulsory in- 

 carceration, and by no means intended for shelter. 



The supposed interest taken by the pilot-fish in 

 this shark, which may also be regarded as proble- 

 matical, has already been noticed.* 



(Sp. 221.) C. vulgaris. The White Shark. 

 This large and powerful fish, one of the most for- 

 midable of its tribe, has been long recorded as a 

 visitor to the British seas, but the instances of its 

 capture are very few and by no means well authen- 

 ticated. Willughby, Sibbald, Grew, Pennant, and 

 Low, all mention it as occurring here, but they give 

 no particulars and do not seem to speak from per- 

 sonal observation. As it is abundant in the Medi- 

 terranean, and found in the greatest plenty in tro- 

 * Nat. Lib. British Fishes, vol i. p. 206. 



