BLUE SHARK. 381 



CHONDEOPTERYGII. SQ.UAUDJE. 



THE BLUE SHARK. 



Carcharias glaucus, Le Bleu, CUVIER, Regne An. 1. ii. p. 388. 



Galeus glaucus, Blew Shark, WILLUGHBY, p. 49, 13. 8. 

 Squalus ,, Le Cagnot bleu, BLOCK, pt. iii. pi. 86. 



,, ,, Blue Shark, PENN. Brit. Zool. vol. iii. p. 143. 



Carcharias ,, ,, FLEM. Brit. An. p. 167, sp. 13. 



THE affection of the Blue Shark for its young was the 

 theme of several of the older writers, ichthyologists as well as 

 poets; and mariners of the present day believe that, when dan- 

 ger appears, the young brood enter the mouth of the parent 

 fish, and take shelter in its belly. Living young have doubt- 

 less been found in the stomachs of large Sharks : their extra- 

 ordinary tenacity of life is proverbial, and will account for 

 this ; but the safety to be expected from incarceration in 

 such a prison is somewhat problematical. 



The Blue Shark is an inhabitant of the Mediterranean, 

 and appears to occur much more frequently on the Devon- 

 shire and Cornish coasts than on any other part of the British 

 Islands ; it has also been taken off the south coast of Ireland, 

 and has been known to wander even as far north as Zetland. 



Mr. Couch, who has had frequent opportunities of seeing 

 this species, makes the following observations : " The Blue 



