137 
The skin is very rough, especially on the back, where the prickles 
are large. Scales on the upper surface of the tail not enlarged. A 
row of isolated large scales arises on each side in the occipital region, 
and is traceable as far as the second dorsal, where it merges into a 
low ridge continued along the caudal. These two rows of enlarged 
scales are most pronounced, as usual in the Scyliorhinide, &c., in young 
examples. 
The colour is brown above and white below, the upper part with 
black transverse blotches disposed alternately’ wider and narrower ; 
the wide bands occur on the occiput, between it and the first dorsal, 
below both dorsals, one at the base and another towards the middle 
of the caudal lobe. There is also a black mark below the eye, another 
below the occipital patch and connected with the first narrow band, 
and others along the sides of the body. In the young, patches occur 
also on the ventrals, anal and lower caudal lobe, but all the markings 
become confused in the adult and tend to break up into spots. One 
remarkable example is varied with cream-coloured markings most 
irregularly disposed. 
Length, 1,010 mm. 
A young example which escaped from the egg as soon as it was 
placed in formalin measures 162 mm., and was evidently just on the 
point of emergence: the yolk-sac is all but absorbed, but the caudal 
“membrane has not completely surrounded the termination of the 
notochord. In young examples the caudal is relatively shorter than 
in the adult, the origin of the first dorsal then lies in the anterior 
half of the body ; in such also three gill-slits are above the pectoral 
fin. 
When taken from the net the carpet-sharks were of relatively 
enormous girth, due to the inflation of the stomach with water. When 
the abdomen was pierced with a penknife-blade a jet of water spurted 
out to a distance of several feet, due to the elasticity of the stomach. 
This inflation is common to members of the genus, and American 
and Japanese species are described as inflating their stomachs with 
air, when they float belly upwards. This recalls the toados or 
puffers (Tetraodontide), which possess a precisely similar habit 
when disturbed. The boys around Port Jackson take advantage 
of this peculiarity, and roll examples of Tetraodon hamultoni and 
T. hypselogenion between their hands until they attain ludicrous 
dimensions. 
It is more than probable that the carpet-sharks taken in the trawl, 
being unable to reach the surface and so imbibe air, filled their 
stomachs with water instead, and it is to be expected that other species 
would act in the same way under similar conditions. 
The carpet-shark was trawled on fourteen occasions, at depths 
ranging from 13 to 94 fathoms, and from Molyneux Bay in the south 
to Whale Island in the Bay of Plenty. The “ Doto” obtained 
Scyllium laticeps off Bream Bay, 8. lat. 36°. At Stations 27 and 28 
