328 PLAGIOSTOMATA. 



Habitat. — Both sides of the North Atlantic, while specimens from the 

 Mediterranean, Golden Horn, Lanzarote, Japan, Surinam, Sydney, Georgetown, 

 Van Diernen's Land, and California are in the National collection. Rare in the 

 Orkneys and Shetlands (W. Baikie, Zool. 1853, p. 3845) : sometimes procured in 

 Banffshire, where a large example was cast ashore during the winter of 1851 

 (Edward) : Aberdeen, January 20th, 1883 (G. Sim) : Firth of Forth, two small 

 examples taken on hooks, hut it is generally rare on the east coast of Scotland 

 (Parnell) : in the Firth of Clyde it is by no means uncommon, and is frequently 

 found there after gales ; one was harpooned while asleep, but broke away (A. 

 Norman, Zool. xv, 1857, p. 5366). In fact it is common in the North Sea and 

 British Channel. Occasionally taken off Yorkshire, and is common on the 

 Dogger Bank (Yorkshire Vertebrata) : two captured at Yarmouth since 1817 

 (Paget), and one 4 feet long in the Norfolk Estuary in 1865 (Lowe) : taken on 

 the coasts of Kent and Sussex (Parnell), Hampshire (Yarrell), and common at all 

 times along the south coast (Parfitt). At Teignmouth I counted one day last 

 autumn twenty-six lying on the beach, left there as useless, having been dragged 

 ashore in the seine net. Common in Cornwall, and found off Swansea (Dillwyn). 



In Ireland Thompson states it to be of rare occurrence from north to south : 

 he notices five from Belfast Bay, the longest of which was 5 feet 4 inches. 

 Templeton asserts it to be often taken, and Butty states it to have been frequent 

 in the county of Cork. In the county of Dublin it is often met with among rays 

 and skates, and monsters are sometimes exhibited (Blake-Knox, Zool. 1866, 

 p. 509) : has also been taken off Waterf ord (Ball) and Kerry (Smith). 



The one figured is from a specimen about 12 inches long from Teignmouth. 

 It is said to attain to 8 feet in length. 



