206 THE WHITE SHARK. 



Their flesh is altogether so tough, coarse, and 

 of such a disagreeable smell, that even the young 

 are scarcely eatable. Their bodies emit a phos- 

 phoric light in the dark. The skin is rough, and 

 is in general use for polishing ivory, wood, and 

 other substances; thongs and carriage traces are 

 also occasionally made of it. The liver is generally 

 found to yield a considerable quantity of oil. There 

 are upwards of thirty species, of which eleven are 

 found in the British seas. 



The body is compressed, long in proportion to 

 the thickness, and tapers towards the tail. The 

 head is obtuse, and on the side of the neck there are 

 from four to seven breathing apertures. The 

 mouth, which is situated in the under part of the 

 head, is armed with several rows of serrated sharp- 

 pointed teeth of different forms, some of which are 

 fixed, and others moveable. The skin is covered 

 with very slender prickles ; and the upper part of 

 the tail is generally longer than the lower. 



THE WHITE SHARK*. 



This Shark has six rows of teeth, hard, sharply- 

 pointed, and of a wedge-like figure. These he has 

 the power of erecting and depressing at pleasure. 

 When at rest, they are quite flat in his mouth ; but, 

 when his prey is to be seized, they are instantly 

 erected by a set of muscles that join them to the 



* Synonyms.— Squalus carchaiias. Linn. «— Lamia ? of the 

 ancients. 



