Class IV. SMOOTH SHARK. 151 



far behind ; the ventral fins united, forming as 

 if it were but one, which is a sure mark of this 

 species ; the tail finned like that of the greater 

 dog fish. The color cinereous, streaked in some 

 parts with red, and generally marked with num- 

 bers of small black spots ; but we have observed 

 in some that they are very faint and obscure; 

 the belly white. 



This species breeds from nine to thirteen 

 young at a time, is very numerous on some 

 of our coasts, and very injurious to the fisheries. 

 Both these spotted species are most tenacious 

 of life. 



FxXsog Asio;? Arist.Hist.an. Squalus dentibus obtusis s'eu 10. Smooth. 



Lib. vi. c. 10. Oppian, granulosis. Arted. Syn. Q3. 



Lib. i. 380. Squalus Mustelus. Lin. syst. 



Galeus laevis. Rondel. 375. 400. Gm. Lin. I4g2. Gro- 



Gesner pise. 608. nov. Zooph. No. 142. 



Mustelus laevis primus. Wil. Le squale emissole. De la 



Ichlk. 60. Cepede Hist, des Poissons. 



Smooth or unprickly hound. i. 242. 



Raii Syn. pise. 22. 



A HIS species is called smooth, not that the 



skin is really so, but because it wants the spines 



on the back, which are the character of the 



second species, the Picked Shark. 



The nose extends far beyond the mouth; the Descrip- 

 tion. 



