is bent downwards and not upwards as is almost invariably the case 

 in other sharks. There are two dorsal fins, neither of which is pro- 

 vided with spines. 



FAMILY 5. SCVMNOID SHARKS; DALATIDAE. 



Here belongs the great Sleeper Shark, Somniosus microcephalus 

 (Bloch). This species has no anal fln. The fins are all small and 

 spines are lacking in the two dorsals. They are large clumsy fish, 

 attaining dimensions of 25 feet, and are extremely ferocious. 



FAMILY 6. DOG FISHES; SQUALIDAE. 



The most abundant of the sharks in our waters is the omnipresent 

 Dog Pish, Squalus sucMii (Girard), (Fig. 5). It differs from the pre- 

 ceding species in that it has two dorsal fins, each provided with a long 

 sharp spine. The anal fin is lacking and the lower lobe of the tail is 

 comparatively small. This species has come into prominence recently, 

 under the sobriquet of G-rayfish, as an article of food. Owing to dif- 

 ficulties encountered in canning the packing of Grayflsh has ceased for 

 the present, but an excellent smoked product is put up, which com- 

 mands a ready sale. The value of the Dogfish in producing oil and 

 fertilizer has long been recognized and great quantities have been 

 taken from the Sound and utilized for these purposes. 



FAMIIiY 7. RAYS AND SKATES; RAJIDAB. 



The Rays are near relatives of the Sharks but are recognized by 

 their strange flattened form. The wing-like extensions at the sides of 

 the body represent the greatly modified pectoral fins of other fish. The 

 tail is produced into a long whip-like structure and the gill openings 

 are on the under side of the body. The eggs are laid in large brown 

 cases from which the young escape when the yolk has been absorbed. 



Three members of this family inhabit our waters. The Spotted 

 Ray, Raja Mnoculata (Girard), is our commonest species. It becomes 

 very large, specimens weighing over a hundred pounds being on rec- 

 ord. The common name of this form is derived from the presence 

 of two large eye-like spots on the back of the fish when it is young. 

 These become faint as the animal grows older. The most distinctive 

 structural feature of the Spotted Ray is the shape of the ventral fln 

 which is regularly concave on its free margin. The Snouted Ray, 

 Raja rhina (Jordan and Gilbert), is similar to the Spotted Ray but the 

 snout is sharper and the ventral flns are of a different shape, a large 

 rounded notch being present on the free border. The Spiny Ray, Raja 

 stellulata (Jordan and Gilbert), (Fig. 6) resembles the two species 

 just described, but differs in the presence of a great number of small 

 spines over the surface of the body. The snout is blunt and rounded 

 and the ventral fln is deeply notched on its free margin. 



