340 MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES AND OBSERVATIONS. 



Greenland Shark (Squalus borealis, Fleming).— A. specimen of 

 this fish was captured at Newbiggin in February, 1876, and was 

 exhibited in a fishmonger's shop in the town. A specimen now 

 in the Museum was captured at the same place in 1868. — J. W. 



The Ribbon Fish (Gymnetrus BanJcsii, Cm.). — A fine specimen 

 of this fish was taken off the coast at Amble, opposite Coquet 

 Island, on March 8th, 1876. AYhen it got into shallow water 

 it turned to make out to sea again, but a man who saw it ran 

 into the sea and seized it by the gills, and with some extra help 

 it was dragged on shore. It was stated to have lived for two 

 hours after being landed. 



The dimensions of the specimen are as follows. Length, thir- 

 teen feet four inches and a half ; depth, directly behind the gills, 

 nine inches and three-quarters ; in the deepest part, which is 

 nearly to the centre of the fish, fourteen inches and a half ; near 

 the tail, six inches and a half. The outline of the fish is a gentle 

 curve along the back from the head to the tail, and the ventral 

 border is comparatively straight. The thickness is about five 

 inches in the thickest part. 



The dorsal fin extends the entire length of the fish, and con- 

 sisted of two hundred and thirty-six rays, connected by a thin 

 delicate membrane about two inches in height. The first ten 

 rays are much longer than the rest and form quite a crest. The 

 front ray was twenty -four inches long and ended in a fine fila- 

 ment, the others were broken, so that their length could not be 

 ascertained. The portions above the membrane being free, would 

 give quite a plume-like appearance to the crest. 



The pectoral fins are small and triangular in form, being about 

 two inches wide and two inches long : they consist of eleven 

 rays. They are situated a little behind the opercula, and rather 

 below, and their direction is upwards and backwards. The 

 ventrals, which are just below the pectorals, are very long and 

 spine-like, with a small oval leaf -like expansion at the end : they 

 were four feet in length. One of them was broken off entirely 

 from the fish, and the other was broken through the middle, the 

 end with the expansion being lost. The tail was damaged by 



