35° NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BERMUDAS. 



January \6th, 1851. — A Shark was captured yesterday at 

 Ireland Island which measured eleven feet in length. Mr. 

 Ballingall (the naval storekeeper), tells me he saw it 

 opened, and that the head and fore quarter of a calf with 

 the skin upon them, two Turtle with shells about nine 

 inches in length, and some other delicacies, were found in 

 its stomach. The heads of both Turtle had disappeared, 

 though one of the Turtle appeared to have been killed a 

 very short time. This Shark was taken with a hook and 

 line. Species unknown. 



From the Bermuda Royal Gazette, of November 2nd, 

 1880, I take the following: — "'Do Sharks harbour their 

 young?' An interesting specimen of Porbeagle Shark 

 {Lamna punctata) was recently caught off Great Neck, L.I. 

 It was a female, and was sent to Mr. E. G. Blackford, 

 who is the recipient of all strangers who make their home 

 in the briny deep. Mr. Blackford volunteered all the in- 

 formation he possessed, as follows : ' When I received her 

 she had been dead more than seven hours. From the 

 immense size of her stomach I thought she must have 

 swallowed a barrel or two of moss bunkers, and to 

 gratify my curiosity I opened her. Imagine my surprise 

 when, instead of moss bunkers, I found ten little Sharks, 

 evidently her offspring, and all just the same size, ex- 

 actly two feet long. I should say they were about six 

 months old ; for a young Shark, when hatched from the 

 egg, measures about four inches. It has been a disputed 

 question among fishermen for some time whether young 

 Sharks, in time of danger, do not seek safety in the 

 mother's stomach. I think this case clearly proves that 

 they do, for the little ones were perfectly sound ; there was 

 no mark on them, as if digestion had begun ; and I have 

 no doubt that, if the mother had not been captured, as soon 

 as the excitement was over the little ones would have 



