86 THE STORY OF FISH LIFE. 



to be a fish of exquisite flavour ; and the Greeks 

 still name it Scaro, and eat it with a sauce made 

 of its liver and intestines." 



The teeth have undergone innumerable modi- 

 fications in accordance with the nature of the 

 food to be ingested. The nature of these modi- 

 fications, and other features, such as the attach- 

 ment to the jaw and so on have been already 

 dealt with. 



The point we wish to emphasise here is 

 the evolution of strange forms evidently adapted 

 to peculiar ends and purposes. Thus, for in- 

 stance, some of the shark-tribe, the eagle-rays 

 (Myliobatis), are remarkable for the possession of 

 a peculiar pair of processes projecting forwards 

 from the head, which are said to be used for 

 scooping food from the sea-floor and conveying 

 it to the mouth. 



Another fish of this group, the " saw-fish " 

 (Pristis)) has developed a most remarkable and 

 most powerful weapon, by a modification of the 

 beak-like process of the front of the head. This 

 is produced forwards into a series of from three 

 to five hollow tubes placed side by side, tapering 

 towards the end, and covered by shagreen, the 

 nature of which we have already discussed. In 

 deep sockets along each side of this enormous 

 beak are implanted large conical flattened teeth, 

 thus forming a double-edged saw. This saw is 

 sometimes a foot broad at the base, and as much as 

 six feet long. It forms, it is needless to remark, 

 a very terrible and most effective weapon, 

 rendering its owner, as Dr Gunther justly re- 

 marks, most dangerous to all other large 



