THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. 189 



each corner is prolonged into a tendril, of which the 

 two which are next the tail of the enclosed fish are 

 stronger and more prehensile than the other pair. 

 The nse of these tendrils appears to be their en- 

 tanglement among the stalks of sea-weeds, and the 

 consequent mooring of the egg in a situation of 

 protection and comparative security. Near the head 

 there is a slit in the egg-skin through which the 

 water enters for respiration, and another at the oppo- 

 site extremity by which it is discharged. That part 

 of the skin which is near the head is \veaker and 

 more easily ruptured than any other part; a provi- 

 sion for the easy exclusion of the animal, which takes 

 place before the entire absorption of the vitelhis or 

 yolk of the egg, the remainder being attached to the 

 body of tlie young fish, enclosed in a capsule, which 

 for a while it carries about. The position of the 

 animal, while within the egg, is with the head doubled 

 back towards the tail, one very unfavourable for the 

 process of breathing by internal gills, and hence there 

 is an interesting provision made to meet the emer- 

 gency. On each side a filament of the substance 

 of the gills projects from the gill-opening, containing 

 vessels in which the blood is exposed to the action of 

 the water. These processes are gradually absorbed 

 after the fish is excluded, until which the internal gills 

 are scarcely capable of respiration. How curious an 

 analog}' we here discover with the Frogs and Newts 

 among the Eeptiles ; and how impressively do we 

 learn the Divine benevolence, when we find that 

 the object of so much contrivance and care is the 

 dreaded and hated Shark 1 



