Zoology.] 



NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. 



[Fishes. 



Measurements — continu ed. 



Mali 



:. 



Female. 





Ft. 



ins. 



lines. 



Ft. 



ins. 



lines. 



Length from snout to anterior base of pectoral... 







5 



10 ... 







7 



6 



„ of base of pectoral... 







1 



3 ... 







2 







„ of anterior margin of pectoral 







3 



... 







4 



6 



Greatest girth of pectoral ... 







2 



5 ... 







3 



1 



Length from posterior base of 2nd dorsal to 















origin of caudal ... 







3 



5 ... 







4 



3 



„ of hind edge of pectoral to anterior edge 















of ventral 







7 



4 ... 







9 



6 



„ of base of ventral ... 







1 



9 ... 







2 



2 



„ of anterior margin of ventral... 







1 



5 ... 







2 



2 



„ from tip of snout to upper edge of nostril 







1 



3 ... 







1 



6 



„ „ „ anterior edge of orbit 







1 



9 ... 







2 



3 



„ „ „ spiracle ... 







2 



9 ... 







3 



8 



„ of orbit 











10 ... 







1 



1 



„ of nostril ... 











3 ... 











4 



Diameter of spiracle 











4 ... 



• 







4 



Width of mouth 







1 



8 ... 







2 



1 



Length from tip of snout to middle of front edge 















of mouth 







2 



1 ... 







2 



9 



Length of 1st gill-opening ... 











4 ... 











6 



Girth 







7 



6 ... 



1 











Length of exposed portion of posterior dorsal 















spine 







1 



... 





— 





Width at base 











2 ... 











2 



Length of exposed portion of anterior dorsal 















spine 





— 



... 







1 







Size of scales about middle of body, nineteen in 3 lines 













Reference. — = Squalus acanthias (Lin.), Syst. Nat. t. 1, p. 597; id. Bloch, 

 t. lxxxv. = Acanthias vulgaris, Bonaparte, Cat. Pesci Europ. p. 15. 



This little Dog-fish, which rarely exceeds two feet in length, is 

 easily distinguished hy the bony spines in front of the two dorsal 

 fins, the absence of anal fin ; and the posterior termination of the 

 tail in the same line as the body, instead of being abruptly turned 

 up as in most sharks. As at home, it seems to bring forth its 

 living young almost every day throughout all the warmer months 

 of the year, each about 5 inches long, with a very large fig-shaped 

 egg-bag hanging from it, 1^ inches in diameter and upwards of 

 2 inches long. Their spines are much dreaded by the fishermen, 

 from the painful wounds they can inflict with them ; always painful 

 and difficult to heal, and sometimes producing lockjaw. When 

 hooked or tangled by the head in a net they bend the tail over the 

 head, and, suddenly lashing out straight, cut the cords and escape, 

 or tear open a man's hand touching their head, with the sharp 

 lateral edges of the dorsal spines ; the larger spine of the 2nd dorsal 

 on the more flexible tail being the more effective. 



I can find no difference between the English fish and ours 

 on careful comparison of specimens, and I find the 1st dorsal as 



[24] 



