106 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Voracity How taken Tenacious of life. 



greatly indebted) discovered them to be a kind 

 of hands. They are composed of two bones, 

 and a long cartilage, which can be removed from 

 each other by means of the muscles, as in the 

 rays. 



The dog-fish inhabits both hot and cold cli- 

 mates; it is found in the British and Norwegian 

 seas, in the Mediterranean, at the Canary Islands, 

 the Cape of Good Hope, and at the Line. It 

 grows to the length of five or six feet, and is one 

 of the voracious class of fish, which are formida- 

 ble even to man, whom it ventures to attack; for 

 which reason, the sailors when they bathe, take 

 precautions to preserve themselves from its rapa- 

 city. Osbeck relates, that in the stomach of a 

 dog-fish he found several hens, with their fea- 

 thers, which had been thrown overboard, besides 

 a number of bonitos. 



This fish is taken with strong cords, to which 

 are fastened hooks baited with a piece of bacon, 

 or a hen. It is so tenacious of life, that after 

 the head and tail are cut off, and the entrails 

 taken out, the body continues to move for an 

 hour. The flesh is hard and oily; for this reason 

 it is eaten only in cases of necessity, and when 

 the fish is young. It is cut in slices, and soaked 

 in water till the oil is extracted, which may be 

 known by the grease ceasing to float on the sur- 

 face of the water. Its skin is used for polishing 

 by cabinet-makers. 



The dog-fish is of the viviparous kind, and 



