THE SHARK TRISE. 20$ 



serve the American Indians for rasps and nutmeg- 

 graters *. 



The fecundity of these fish is exceedingly great. 

 Catesby says that the females frequently contain a 

 bushel of spawn each; and Leeuwenhoek found in the 

 roe of one of them no fewer than 150,000,000,000 



THE SHARK TRIBE. 



THE animals that compose this dreadfully rapa- 

 cious tribe are entirely marine, and more frequent 

 in the hot than the temperate climates. They are 

 in general solitary, and often wander to vast dis- 

 tances, devouring almost every thing that comes in 

 their way, that they are able to swallow. Some of 

 them will follow vessels several hundred leagues, for 

 the carcasses and filth that are thrown overboard. 

 The size to which they grow is enormous, as they 

 often weigh from one to four thousand pounds each. 

 Some few species are gregarious, and live on the 

 molluscse and other marine worms. They are all vivi- 

 parous ; their young, when first protruded, being 

 inclosed (alive) in a square pellucid horny case, 

 terminated at the four corners by very long slen- 

 der filaments, which are generally found twisted 

 round corallines, sea-weed, and other fixed sub- 

 stances. 



* Brickell, 237* 



