fKTE SEA-^Otf. 



Description. 



The sea-wolf grows to a large size ; those on 

 the Yorkshire coast are sometimes found of the 

 length of four feet ; according to Dr. Johnson, 

 they have been taken near Shetland seven feet 

 long, and even more. The head is a little flatted 

 on the top; the nose blunt; the nostrils are very 

 small ; the eyes small, and placed near the end 

 of the nose. The teeth are very remarkable, 

 and finely adapted to its way of life. The fore 

 teeth are strong, conical, diverging a little from 

 each other, stand far out of the jaws, and are 

 commonly six above and the same below, tbougli 

 sometimes there are only five in each jaw ; these 

 are supported within side by a row of lesser teeth, 

 which makes the number in the upper jaw seven- 

 teen or eighteen, in the lower eleven or twelve. 

 The sides of the under jaw are convex inwards, 

 which greatly adds to their strength, and at the 

 same time allows room for the large muscles with 

 which the head of this fish is furnished. The 

 grinding teeth of the under jaw are higher on 

 the outer than the inner edges, which inclines 

 their surfaces inward ; they join to the canine 

 teeth in that jaw, but in the upper are separate 

 from them. In the centre are two rows of flat 

 strong teeth, fixed on an oblong basis upon^the 

 palate and nose. The teeth of the anarrhicus 

 are often found fossil, and in that state called 

 busonites, or toad-stones; these were formed/ 

 much esteemed for their imaginary virtues, and 

 Were set in gold, and worn as rings. The two 



