Zoology.-] NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. [Fishes. 



dashes along ; and it is one of those which will occasionally dart 

 out of the water at a piece of meat, or the oar of a boat, or a man's 

 arm or leg. 



The great quantity of fish fit for the table devoured by this 

 species induced the Government a few years ago to place large 

 sums on the estimates to prevent its increase, by offering a reward 

 to the fishermen for each one killed according to its size; and for 

 want of authentic figures of the different species to refer to, the 

 authorities were ludicrously imposed upon by the fishermen bringing 

 myriads of the harmless little blunt-toothed Dog-fish and other 

 small species of Sharks, which they gravely presented as the young 

 of this gigantic one, and got paid for, at so much a foot, to the 

 amount of many hundreds of pounds. 



Its geographical range is very great, extending to the Cape of 

 Good Hope and to the American coast, where individuals are often 

 found to have remains of men and clothing in them when cut up ; 

 and it is the commonest of the large sharks seen swimming round 

 our bathing enclosures in Hobson's Bay. 



Explanation of Figures. 



Plate 64. — Fig. 1, side view of female, reduced. Fig. la, snout and mouth, viewed from 

 below. Fig. \b, side view of tooth, natural size, to show the double curvature. Fig. lc, front 

 view of same, to show basal cusps. 



Plate 64, Fig. 2. 

 GALEUS AUSTRALIA (Macleat). 



AUSTEALIAN TOPE SHARK. 



[Genus GALEUS (Cuv.). (Sub-kingd. Vertebrata. Class Pisces. Order Plagiostomata. 

 Sub-order Selachoidea. Fam. Galeidse.) * 



Gen. Char. — Head flattened, muzzle pointed, rounded ; eye with nictitating membrane, 

 pupil round above, pointed below ; nostrils with small triangular valve ; a slit and fold of skin 

 round angle of mouth. Tail moderately short, without pit at the base, or keel on the sides ; 

 upper lobe of caudal fin with a notch near tip. Anterior dorsal over interval between pectorals 

 and ventrals, twice the size of second dorsal, which equals the anal in size, and is a little in front 

 of it. Scales minute, with three slight keels. Teeth in both jaws flattened, triangular, notched 

 behind, obliquely inclined backwards and outwards, inner edge smooth, sometimes with one 

 denticle at base, middle cusp acutely angular, pointed, posterior or outer edge denticulated ; teeth 

 of middle of front of mouth as large as the lateral ones, but straight, with a denticle at each side of 

 base. Spiracles behind the eye, longitudinal, oval, small. Intestinal valve spiral. Cosmopolitan.] 



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