NATURAL HISTORY of NORWA Y. iiz 



m 

 nets. In Nordland they make a fort of difh of them, cutting 

 the flefh into long flips, and drying them ; which is more 

 delicate than that of Helle-flynders ; or elfe they pickle them 5 

 and eat them as they do pickled Herrings. 



SECT. VII. 



The Haae, the Shark : this is a very extenfive tribe ; the Ha ae, 

 feveral kinds are very different in fize, like the dog-kind, which 

 creatures they alfo referable in fiercenefs and voracioufnefs, deftroy- 

 ing other Fifh. Hence the Shark is called Canis Carcharias : but 

 they moftly referable the dog-fpecies in this ; viz. that there are 

 fome very large, even feveral fathoms in length, and fome very 

 fmall, about two feet when full grown : but before I defcribe 

 each of thefe forts in particular, I (hall fpeak of them in general ; 

 namely, firft, that they have no bones, properly fo called, ex- 

 cepting that of the back, but only a cartilaginous or griftly fub- " 

 ftance, inftead of bones : in the fecond place, they do not, like 

 moft kinds of fifh, ejeft their fpawn, but are viviparous, and, 

 like the Whale, bring forth their young alive, five or fix at a 

 birth, from a fort of umbilical opening. In its belly are a kind 

 of eggs, as large as a hen's ; but they are foft, and have no white. . 

 They hang together as it were by a thread, and ferve for food 

 fometimes for the poorer fort * In the third place, their skin is 

 hard, rough, and full of a vaft number of fmall prickles ; their 

 fins are large, broad, and thick, which goldfmiths, ivory-turners, 

 carvers, &c. make ufe of to polifh their work. The Gulhaaen, 

 one of this kind of fifh, which fhall be prefently defcribed, 

 has not fuch a rough skin, but in that particular is like other 

 Fifh. The fourth obfervation I fhall make is, that the mouth of 

 the whole tribe of Sharks is not placed like that of any other 

 kind of Fifh, but underneath a pretty long fnout, which juts 

 put, defigned, as it were, to prevent their deftroying other Fifh 

 in too great quantities ; for they are obliged to turn upon their 

 backs when they would devour their prey, unlefs it happens to 

 fwim juft under them. This wife contrivance of Providence God's pr0 vi- 

 tends, no doubt, to the prefervation of other Fifh in fome Mea- dence * 

 fure, becaufe the Shark is the fierceft and moft voracious of all 

 the Sea-fifh f . He bites very keenly, and has a vaft appetite : 

 Part IL Gg he 



, * The young Shark lies in a different poflure from that of moft Fifh. of the vivi- 

 parous kind in its mother's' womb, and has a communication by a fmall tube, with 

 the egg above-mentioned, and receives its nourifhment from it to the time of its birth, 

 f Mr. Derham entertains the fame opinion of God's providence in this particular, 

 in his Ph^fico-Theolic. B. iv. c. 14. fpeaking of the Shark, or the Canis Carcharias, 



he 



