Catalogue of the Fishes of Connecticut. 77 



*156. Lamna caudata, Dekay, Long-tailed Shark, Rhode Isl- 

 and and New York. 



*157. Squalus maximus, Linn., Basking Shark, L. L Sound. 



*158. Mustekis canis, Mitchill, Dogfish, Stratford. 



159. Spinax acanthias, Linn., Piked Dogfish, common. 



*160. Zygsena malleus, Valenciennes, Hammer-headed Shark, 

 Long Island Sound. 



Family Raiidce. 



*16L Pastinaca maclura, Le Sueur, Broad-sting Ray, Saybrook 

 and New Haven. 



162. Raia ocellata, Mitchill, Ocellated Ray, common. 



163. Raia batis, Linn., Skate, common, 



*164. Raia diaphanes, Mitchill, Clear-nosed Ray, Stratford. 



*156. The L. caudata of Dekay, appears by his figure and description very near- 

 Jy allied to the punctata, and is doubtless found in our waters. 



*157. A shark of uncommon size was taken here a few years since, the opened 

 jaws of which (after taken from the fish) passed easily over the shoulders of the 

 largest man in town, (Mr. I. Thorp.) I saw the jaws, but not the fish. It was 

 said to measure 15^ feet in length, and I conclude it must certainly have been this 

 species. It is found on the whole coast of New England, as well as farther south. 



*158. I obtained two of this species on our shore, taken in a white-fish seine ; 

 length over 3 feet each, and agreeing well with Dr. Dekay's description, and figure 

 209, plate 64. It is the most slender fish in proportion to its length of any of the 

 family, that has fallen under my observation. The mouth and teeth much re- 

 semble those of the Raia diaphanes. 



*160. The hammer-headed shark has not only been taken repeatedly in Massa- 

 chusetts, and seen by sailors from this port, at Martha's Vineyard Sound, but Dr. 

 Dekay has "seen them in Hurl-gate, 4 feet long;" and several have been cap- 

 tured in the harbor of New York. " It ranges from Brazil to Nantucket." 



*161. This was erroneously called Raia maclura by Le Sueur, is changed to 

 Pastinica by Dekay. Mr. G. Landon, of Bridgeport, assures me that " he once 

 saw a ray taken near the mouth of the Connecticut river that weighed 900 pounds. 

 In directing his attention to the figures in Dr. Dekay's Report, he thinks it differ- 

 ed from all these, but most resembled the P. maclura. Le Sueur mentions this 

 species as found at Newport, R. I., and frequently measuring 15 to 18 feet in 

 length. A fisherman informs me that he caught one of the same last summer at 

 New Haven that weighed 200 pounds. There is indubitable evidence, therefore, 

 that this fish inhabits our waters. 



*164. Of the clear-nosed ray, I sent a male and female specimen to Dr. Storer, 

 (for the Society.) I selected the male from a great number on the shore in this 

 town, in the summer of 1842. The female was picked up at the lighthouse by Mr. 

 Budington, the keeper, and brought to me alive, Feb. 10th, 1843. The stomach 

 was well filled with shrimp, and one Lihinia caniculata. Say. In the ovarium were 

 several eggs resembling the unlaid eggs of a pullet before a shell is attached, and 

 about the size of a song sparrow's eggs. One was ^ inch in diameter. 



From the different sizes and shapes of the egg-cases, (popularly denominated 

 sailor's pocket-books,) and by some naturalists erroneously considered sharks' eggs, 



