426 



VERTEBRATA. 



Its fl*'sh is indifferent food. A species resembling this, fouii.l in the south seas, is the Collo- 

 rhi/itcfiiis Australis. 



TIIK SC^T^ALIILE OP. STTAPJCS. 



These are at <'iire distingnislicl hy llnir cloii^fatcd, spindle-shaped bodies, their branchial ap- 

 rrturi's pla.-ed .mi the sides of the neek, and their pectoral fins of the ordinary form and position. 

 The svninii'triral tail is lar«,'e ami llcsliv, t'liriiishcd with powerful fins, which render it a most 

 riri.-i.'nt Mijent in proj^nrssion ; tlie nose is usually cipuical and pointed, the mouth large, and 

 arni.-d with most formidable cuttini; teeth, and the upper surface of the head is frequently fur- 

 nish. mI with a pair of spira.'les, although these apertures are often wanting. This group, in which 

 the female is generally the largest, includes several fiimilies; we can only notice the prominent 



species. 



Oenus SCVLLIUM 



Scyllkim. 



TIIK LARGE SPOTTED DOG-FISH. 



This includes nearly a dozen species, generally called Dog- 



Fishes. While most other sharks 

 bring forth their young alive, these 

 are remarkable for producing eggs 

 in horny cases, the shape of which 

 is represented in the annexed en- 

 ^ graving. These are deposited by 



the female shark near the shore ; 

 the convoluted tendrils at each 

 end hang to the sea-weed and prevent the eggs from being washed into deep water. The young 

 fish ultimately escapes by an opening at the end where the head is situated. The cases of these 



eggs are popularly called Merrnaid's 

 Purses^ Sea-Purses, Sailor's Purses, Ac., 

 and are of a pale yellowish, horny color. 



The Large Spotted Dog-Fish, S. cat- 

 ulus — often called Bounce and Rock Dog- 

 Fish in England — the Squale Panthere 

 of the French, is two to three feet long, 

 haunts deep water, and feeds on small 

 fish and Crustacea. Found on the British 

 coasts. 



The Small Spotted Dog-Fish, *S^. 

 canicula — called Morgay in Scotland — is about two feet long, of a slender form ; common on the 

 British shores ; lives in deep water, and feeds voraciously on fish and Crustacea ; takes the bait 

 freely, and is troublesome and injurious to the fisheries on account of its numbers and voracity. 



The Black-moutiied Dog-Fish, *S'. melanostomum, is two to three feet long, and is found in 

 European seas; common in the Mediterranean. 



Genus CAKCHARIAS : Carcharias. — This includes about twenty species of true sharks, sev- 

 eral of which are large and formidable. The White Shark, C. vulgaris, has the body elongated, 



swims with great ease, measures 

 from fifteen to twenty feet, is ex- 

 ceedingly voracious, and has been 

 known to swallow the entire body 

 of a man. It often follows ships 

 for days, feeding on the ofFal that 

 is thrown overboard. It is occa- 

 sionally caught by the sailors, who 

 have a mortal dread of it. In the 

 stomach of these creatures a curi- 

 ous assortment of articles is some- 

 times discovered ; in one case the contents of a lady's work-basket, even including the scissors. 



shark's egg laid open to show the position of the toung fish. 



THE WHITE shark. 



