666 



The Living Animals of the World 



SHARK (of wliicli a photograpli, taken at ]\Ievagissey, is given lielow), illustrates in its harmless 

 person the fallacv of conflenming all sharks as man-eaters, since in this, the largest of its 

 race, we have an absolutelv innocuous tlsh. P'rom its habit of lying at the surface with the 

 large back-fin erect, it is also known as the Sail-fish, while the equally appropriate name of 

 Sun-fish sometimes causes confusion with other British fishes properly so called. 



A commoner British shark (in the limited s})ace allotted, British species must be allowed 

 prior claims) is the PiLUE Shark, small examples of whicli, weighing 30 or 40 lbs., the writer 

 has often killed with the rod at Mevagissey. Wlien thus liooked, this fish has a curious and 

 very trving habit of revolving rapidly in the water, scoring its own granirlated skin with the 

 line. The Porbeagle-shauk. another Cornish species, is of tliicker build than tlie last, and 

 swims with far less graceful movements. It is a deep bro^vn colour abo\'e, and its general 



Photn bit &. Diilbn Smilh] 



[.!/, mgissaj. 



IlASKING-SnAKK. 

 Eegularly hunted on the west coast of Ireland for the sake of tho oil obtainable from its liver. Note the keel by the side of the tail. 



outline may be likened to tliat of a torpedo. The Fo.\-.snARK, or Thkesiier, so often seen on 

 hot summer days leaping out of water among the pilchard-shoals, is easily recognised, even at 

 considerable distances, by the disproportionately long upper lobe of the tail-fin. This is the 

 shark which attacks certain of the ^\^hale Tribe. :\Iany who .stay at home find it agreeable to 

 cast doubt on the story; but the writer has, in Australian seas, witnessed the sight of two 

 of these sharks flinging themseh-es on the back of an apparently exhausted whafe in such 

 unmistakable circumstances that the only alternative (which the reader may accept, if preferred) 

 IS to suppose that they were all congenial playmates. 



Before specifying some general characters^ of this interesting group of predatory fishes, it 

 may be as well briefly to summarise the Britlsh Dog-F[SHE.S ; for the Hammerhead-SHARK, 

 veiy cominon m southern seas, is so rare a visitor to Britain as to be negligible in an 

 epitome ot the group. The dog-fishes, then, which trouble fishermen are the Smooth Hound 



