THE POKBEAGLE, OR BEAUMARIS SHARK. 251 



longed was 6 feet long. In my remarks on the Remora -will be found a 

 reference to the occurrence of the blue shark at Clontarf. Dr. G. J. 

 AUman saw a specimen taken at Courtmasherry, and I learned from the 

 late Mr. Nimmo and Mr. M'Calla that this species occurs on the Galway 

 coast. 



" A blue shark, 10 feet 1 inch in length, was taken near Clontarf wall, on 

 Tuesday evening. It was seen in shallow water by Mr. N. A. Nicholson, who, 

 with some fishermen, succeeded in driving him on shore, where they soon de- 

 spatched him. Attached to the head were two of that curious fish the remora, 

 so usually found on sharks in the tropical seas. This species of shark is not 

 unfrequent on the Southern coast, but does not appear to be often seen of so great 

 a size. The occurrence of the remora is, perhaps, the first authentic record of its 

 being found on the Irish coast. The specimens have been secured for the Uni- 

 versity Museum, and added to the large collection of Irish fishes there accumu- 

 lated. — DiibUn Evening Packet." N, Whig, Aug. 4, 1846. 



The Porbeagle, or Beaumaris Shark, Lamna Cornubica, Cuv., 



3fo7icnsis, Cuv., 

 Has occasionally been taken on different pai-ts of the coast. 



Templeton notices one as caught in Belfast Bay, and M'Skimmin 

 notes the species as rare in the edition of his work published in 1829. 

 In that of 181 1 it has not a place; from which circumstance I am 

 inclined to believe that it was in consequence of the occurrence of a spe- 

 cimen in 1815 that this fish was included at all in his list. 



Templeton and he probably alluded to the same individual which was 

 noticed in the Belfast Newsletter of 7th July, 1815. It was taken in a 

 herring-net at Carrickfergus, and measured 5 feet II inches in length. 



Of a specimen taken off Dublin Bay in September, 1838, and which 

 came under my observation in a recent state, I drew up the following 

 description : — [Several have since been obtained. H. i?.] 



Length 45 inches. Body fusiform, very narrow at the tail, and strongly 

 keeled there on each-side ; skin smooth when stroked backwards (sliglitly 

 rough in the opposite direction), of a uniform greyish black colour (under 

 surface from jaw to C. fin white), diameter of the eye each way 1 inch, 5 

 rows of teeth on upper, 6 on lower jaw, 2 rows exposed on upper, 3 ex- 

 posed on lower. 1st D. originates 14f inches from snout, occupies nearly 

 4^ inches of back, from basal termination of 1st D. to origin of 2nd D. 12 

 inches ; 2nd D. occupies f inch at base, space between it and C. fin ■i^ 

 inches, upper lobe of C. fin 9 inches long, lower lobe 7^ inches long, and 

 originating 1 inch nearer head than upper lobe, snout 2^ inches in length 

 from lower jaw, 3^ inches from eye to end of snout ; P. fin originates 9^ 

 inches from lower jaw, and is in length I'l inches. 1st D. 4^ inches high, 

 2nd D. I inch 4 lines high. 



The snout of this fish is pointed like Yarrell's figure of the Porbeagle, 

 the eye large like that of the Beaumaris, the fins all formed as Johnston 

 describes the Porbeagle. Johnston's description of Porbeagle in Yarrell 

 just applies in every detail. 



Dr. Ball has the jaws of a Lamna taken at Youghal in the summer of 

 1824 : the fish was about 4 feet long, and the only one he ever saw there. 

 When the gum is cut away 6 rows of teeth apjjcar in both jaws ; it agrees 

 with L. Monensis in the teeth being sharper than tliose figured of L. Cor- 

 nubica by Yarrell. 



The teeth of this are similar to those in the specimen above described : 

 they become gradually shcn-ter and broader in proportion to their distance 

 from the centre of the mouth backwards. 



