FISHES — WAITH. 



35 



some sopiii from tlie cuttle-fisli. Sniall tIioii;<lit wjis j^ivfii to llio 

 shark cruisiiiij; aloiigsich;, until it was discoviM'od that the skato 

 had been eaten oil' and the sliark was anxious for more. At 

 night, also, sharks kei)t pace witli us, as indicated hy the phos- 

 phorescent n'low w liich accompanied their mcjvenients. 



This species is here accorded specilic raidc on account of tlie 

 following peculiarity. AVriters on tS. zpf/cnia ( = Zi/f/fi'.ii<i malleus) 

 descril)e that species as having the nasal groove running along 

 nearly the whole front margin of the head. In our specimens, as 

 abo\ e described, the groove is much less extensive. I at first 

 tliought that this condition might be characteristic of immaturity, 

 but a comparison with two examples in the Museum, one of 

 which measures fifteen and a half feet in length, shows that in 

 these the nasal groove is also comparatively short, relatively 

 shorter than in the young. 



The " Zoological Record," 1882, supplies the following refer- 

 ence, '■'■ Zy gonna leewini, Griff., is distinct from Z. malleus, Roche- 

 brune, Act. Soc. L. Bord., vi., p. 56." I have not access to this 

 paper, but Rochebrune's conclusions have not been accepted by 

 Jordan &. Evermann, who in their latest work'^^ continue to place 

 Z. lewini as a synonym of S. m,aUeus. The following is a 

 description of our examples : — 



Head hammer-shaped, rather more than three times as wide as 

 its length at the eye ; the anterior margin is rounded, the space 

 between the nostrils, which are situated near the eyes, formed of 

 three lobes, one median and two lateral, the former the larger; a 

 pronounced groove passes from the nostril along the anterior 

 margin of each lateral lobe and is deflected slightly inwards at its 

 junction with the median lobe. Each groove is less than one- 

 third the width of the head measured between the preocular 

 ]Drominences. As in ;S'. tudes, the grooves are preceded by a line 

 of pores. On the imder side of the head several patches also 

 occur, the most noticeable of which occupies a triangular depres- 

 sion in the centre of its anterior margin ; another series arises 

 from the juncture of the lateral and median lobes and passes 

 obliquely inwards and backwards towards a position in front of 

 the mouth ; this is succeeded by a less marked line continued 

 inwards to meet the base of the last named series. A row of 

 more widely spaced pores passes outwards towards the orbit, 

 which has an irregular patch at the posterior border. Finally a 

 series of pores is found on the free skinny portion at the hinder 

 part of the head on each side. At its external angle this 

 membrane is produced backwards. 



* Fishes of North America. U.S. Nat. Mus., Bull. 47, 1896, p. 45. 



