i88 The Under-Water World 



Sawfishes are sharks having the snout 

 prolonged into a seven-foot beak set 

 with large tooth-like structures on either 

 side. Many a sensational story has been 

 recounted of the uses to which the beak 

 has been put, but the unromantic scien- 

 tist avers that the weapon merely serves 

 as a plough and is employed to dig up 

 sand and dislodge the shellfish on which 

 the creature feeds. It is known, how- 

 ever, that on occasions the saw has been 

 used to rip open a large fish, dislodging 

 the interior and providing an unappetis- 

 ing meal for the owner of the saw. It is 

 noteworthy that the sawfish does not lay 

 eggs, but is viviparous, and that the in- 

 fantile saws are protected by parch- 

 ment-like sheaths which prevent the 

 keen-edged weapons from puncturing the 

 maternal interior. 



Very superior to the sharks and rays 

 as regards sport is that giant member of 

 the herring tribe the tarpon, which may 



