popular JBfctumarii of gnimatrtt $ature. 605 



simple, elongate-fusiform, and often termi- 

 nated by a small bundle of scales. Many of 

 the species resemble Wasps and other Hy- 

 menopterous and Dipterous insects, and fly 

 about in the hottest sunshine. 



SETTER. (Cants familiaris index.) This 

 variety of the Dog is little inferior in point 

 of sagacity to any of the species, and sur- 

 passed by none in docility or grateful attach- 

 ment, while its excellent nose and endurance 



OLJStl SETTER. 



of fatigue in the field render it of great service 

 to the sportsman. In figure it partakes of 

 the characters of the Pointer and Spaniel, 

 the hair having much of the wavy appearance 

 of the latter, and also the ears. Its general 

 colour is white, with large liver-coloured 

 patches. 



SHAD. (Clupea afosa.) This fish resem- 

 bles the Pilchard in general appearance, but 

 is much larger, and flatter in proportion. 

 The colour of the body is bright silver, in- 

 clining to dusky on the back, and marked 

 on each side, at a small distance from the 

 gills, by four or more rounded black spots : 

 the scales are rather large : the fins are of a 

 bluish tinge ; and the tail is forked. It is a 

 native of the Mediterranean and Northern 

 seas, and, like the Salmon, ascends rivers, at 

 particular seasons, for the purpose of de- 

 positing its spawn. Like the Herring, it dies 

 almost immediately after being taken out of 

 the water, and is supposed to feed chiefly on 

 worms, insects, and young fish. It is found 

 in greater perfection in the Severn than in 

 any other British river. The Thames Shad 

 is comparatively a very coarse fish. The 

 Shad which frequents American waters is 

 probably a different species. It usually 

 weighs four or five pounds, but sometimes 

 twelve. It is highly esteemed for food, and 

 is consumed in great quantities in the fresh 

 state : great quantities are salted, but they 

 are then less esteemed than when eaten fresh. 

 During the season they are an important 

 source of wealth to the inhabitants of the 

 borders of the Hudson, Delaware, and Chesa- 

 peake rivers. 



SHARKS. (Squalidae.-) A family of Car- 

 tilaginous fishes, allied to the Rays, and cele- 

 brated for the size and voracity of some of 

 the species. The form of the body is elon- 

 gated, and the tail is thick and fleshy. The 

 mouth is large, generally situated beneath 

 the snout, and is armed with several rows 

 of compressed, sharp-edged, and sometimes 

 serrated teeth ; these are movable at the 

 will of the animal, and are usually laid down 

 and directed backwards, but become erect 

 at the moment he is seizing his prey. The 



skin is usually very rough, covered with a 

 multitude of little osseous tubercles ; and 

 that of some species forms the substance 

 called shagreen. They devour with indis- 

 criminating voracity almost every animal 

 substance, whether living or dead. They 

 often follow vessels for the sake of picking 

 up any offal that may be thrown overboard ; 

 and, in hot climates especially, man himself 

 frequently becomes a victim to their rapa- 

 city. No fish can swim with such velocity 

 as the Shark, nor is any so constantly en- 

 gaged in that exercise : he outstrips the 

 swiftest ships, and plays round them, with- 

 out exhibiting a symptom of strong exertion 

 or uneasy apprehension ; and the depreda- 

 tions he commits on the other inhabitants 

 of the deep are truly formidable. The eggs 

 of Sharks are few and large, in comparison 

 of those of bony fishes ; they are enveloped 

 in a hard, horny, semi-transparent shell, 

 terminated at the four angles with long 

 filaments. Messrs. Muller and Henle have 

 described many new genera and species of 

 this family. 



The WHITE SHARK. (Squalus carcharicui.) 

 The White Shark, in size and voracity the 

 most formidable of all the species, is an in- 

 habitant of most parts of the globe, though 

 much more frequently seen in the warmer 

 than in the colder latitudes. It is believed 

 to reside principally in the depths of the 

 ocean, rising at intervals in order to pursue 

 its prey. It sometimes attains the length of 

 from twenty to thirty feet, and its mouth is 

 sufficiently wide to enable it to receive the 

 thigh, or even the body of a man. The head 

 is of a depressed shape and broad, terminating 

 in an obtusely pointed snout ; the margin of 

 each jaw is furnished with from three to six 

 rows of strong, flat, triangular, sharp- pointed, 

 and finely serrated teeth ; the tongue is 

 broad, thick, and cartilaginous and the 

 throat extremely wide ; the eyes, as in most 

 of the genus, of a bluish or greenish cast. 

 The pectoral fins are large, strong, broad, 

 and pointed ; the first dorsal fin falcated 

 behind, and pointed ; the second is situated 

 near the origin of the tail, which is slightly 

 lengthened, and of a bilobate shape. The 

 general colour is a pale or whitish ash, but 

 darker on the upper parts. The internal 

 parts of the Shark present many remarkable 

 particulars : the brain is small ; the throat 

 is very short, and of a diameter not greatly 

 inferior to that of the beginning of the sto- 

 mach, which is of vast size, and dilatable to 

 a great degree : the intestinal canal, instead 

 of forming a mere continued tube, consists 

 rather of a large series of meshes or divisions, 

 placed in a spiral direction throughout its 

 length. During the breeding season, which 

 takes place at different periods in different 

 climates, the Sharks are observed to approach 

 the shores, in order to deposit their young 

 in the most favourable situations. The 

 length of the newly-hatched Shark does not 

 exceed a few inches. 



The BASKINO SHARK. (Selachias maximta.') 

 This species is scarcely, if at all, inferior in 

 size to the White Shark. They generally 

 appear in the Firth of Clyde and among the 



