THE SHARK. 265 



squalus carcharias, or white shark. — Presented 

 by Dr. Leach, 1820. 



The fore-teeth, near the symphisis, accorded 

 in every respect with the New Zealand speci- 

 mens ; more posterior they became equilateral, 

 but were all unserrated at their edges. 



The capture of one of these voracious animals 

 frequently beguiles a tedious hour during a long 

 voyage. Its struggles, when brought on deck, 

 are very great, but a few severe blows on the 

 nose soon disable it from further exertion. When 

 seizing any object, the animal turns on the side, 

 not (as is generally supposed) on the back. The 

 shark, judging by an European palate, is not 

 good eating : the fins and tail are very glutinous, 

 and are the portions most relished by the sea- 

 men ; when dried, they form an article of com- 

 merce to China, where they are used in soups, 

 and considered as an excellent aphrodisiac. I 

 have seen several sharks and bonitos about the 

 ship at the same time, but I never observed the 

 former attempt to molest the latter. The shark 

 is eaten eagerly by the natives of the Polynesian 

 Islands, and I have often seen them feasting on 

 it in a raw state, when they gorge themselves to 

 such an excess as to occasion vomiting. It is 

 not an unfrequent source of illness among these 

 islanders, and they sufler so much in conse- 



