BEAN] HISTORY OF THE WHALE SHARK 143 
the body, but no parasite was found. The eyes were taken out and prepared 
for histological study. The set of teeth was all covered by a membrane that 
surrounded internally the lips; the teeth are very little and almost in a rudi- 
_ mental state. The mouth, instead of opening in the inferior part of the head, 
as in common sharks, was at the extremity of the head; the jaws having the 
same bend. 
“Cutting the animal on one side of the backbone we met (1) a compact 
layer of white fat 20 centimetres deep; (2) the cartilaginous ribs covered 
with blood vessels; (3) a stratum of flabby, stringy, white muscle, 60 centi- 
metres high, apparently in adipose degeneracy; (4) the stomach. 
“By each side of the backbone he had three chamferings or flutings, that 
were distinguished by inflected interstices. The color of the back was brown 
with yellow spots that became close and small toward the head, so as to be 
like marble spots. The length of the shark was 8.90 m. from the mouth to 
the pinna caudalis extremity, the greatest circumference 6.50 m., and 2.50 m. 
the main diameter (the outline of the two projections is made for giving other 
dimensions). 
“The natives call the species tintoreva, and the most aged of the village 
had only once before fished such an animal, but smaller. While the animal 
was on board we saw several Remora about a foot long drop from his mouth; 
it was proved that these fish lived fixed to the palate, and one of them was 
pulled off and kept in the zoological collection of the ship.” 
In February, 1889, a rhinodon 22 ft. in length was cast ashore at 
Madras, and in April, 1890, another specimen 14 ft. 6 in. in length 
was caught off Bambalapitiya, Ceylon. These were reported upon 
by Edgar Thurston, Sup’t. of the Madras Government Museum, in 
his very interesting paper, published in Bulletin No. 1, pp. 36 to 38, 
1894, of that Museum. 
Under date of July 22, 1901, Kamakichi Kishinouye, of the Im- 
perial Fisheries Bureau, Tokyo, Japan, reported the capture of this 
shark in Japanese waters, and described it as a new species (R. pen- 
talineatus). With Dr. Gill the writer believes the Japanese fish to 
be identical with R. typicus. The following are Mr. Kishinouye’s 
very interesting notes upon the fish in question: 
“cs. A RARE SHARK, RHINODON PENTALINEATUS n. sp. 
“By KAMAKICHI KISHINOUYE, IMPERIAL FISHERIES BUREAU, ToKyYoO. 
“ (WITH 2 FIGS.) 
, “eingeg. 22. August I9oI. 
“On toth of June 1901 a rare and gigantic shark was caught by drift net 
off Cape Inubo. Mr. Tsuratame Oseko who keeps a collection of rare things 
for show in Asakusa Park, Tokyo, bought the fish and brought its skin to 
Tokyo to be stuffed, notwithstanding many difficulties, accompanying its enor- 
mous size and ponderous weight. The external part is complete, except the 
portion between the anal fin and the caudal. 
“The general appearance of the fish is very ugly, with the flat and blunt 
head, straight, terminal mouth and the small eyes. The skin is fine-grained, 
