THE FEMALE SHARK. 311 



teeth ; these, which form a crushing apparatus of great 

 power, are movable at the will of the animal ; they, are 

 usually laid down and directed backwards, but are raised 

 when the shark prepares to seize its prey. 



The skin of the shark, in most species, is exceedingly 

 rough, and covered with numerous little osseous tuber- 

 cles; that of some species yields the substance known as 

 shagreen. 



The males are distinguished from the females in a way 

 very unlike any that is observable in other families of 

 fishes ; that is, they are endowed with jointed organs, 

 attached to the body close to the ventral fins.* These 

 are popularly known by the name of " claspers." The 

 females possess no milt or roe, such as we find in the 

 bony or osseous fishes. They have, however, a something 

 equivalent, which is often found studded with eggs in 

 various stages of growth ; and as the eggs escape from 

 their primitive station, they descend to their proper re- 

 ceptacle, and there remain until their final development. 

 Most of the sharks hatch their young within themselves, 

 though without any adhesion to the organ in which they 

 lie. 



Among the Squalidse belonging to, or found in, British 

 waters, we may particularize the Neuse Hound or Catfish 

 (Scyllium stellaris) \ the Rough Hound, or Lesser Spotted 

 Dogfish (Squale roussette], the Black-mouthed or Eyed 

 Dogfish (Scyllium melanostomuin) ; the Six-gilled or 

 Gray Shark (Hexanchus griscus) ; the White Shark 

 (Squalus carcharias) j Blue Shark (Carckarias glaucus) ; 

 the Thrasher (Squalus vulpes) ; the Basking Shark, or 



* Couch, "British Fishes" (edit. 1862), p. 9. 



