12 Sigurd Johnsen. 
Waite (1902, p. 292) writing of the specimen found stran- 
ded at Bermagui, Australia, says: “It is supposed that the fish was 
in search of food, owing to the large quantity of “Whale-food” 
(small shrimps) which was round the fish on the sand”. And 
he continues on page 296: “The fish is evidently. of pelagic habit, 
and when stranded was apparently following up the stream of 
pelagic life which engaged the attention of the Basking Shark,') 
taken within a few miles of the same locality and at the same time. 
— — —, this pelagic flux consisted largely of Munida subrugosa, 
and the characterising of Whale-food as “small shrimps” by the 
Fisheries Inspector in connection with Luvarus leaves little doubt 
as to the nature of food of this fish”. 
The contents of the entrails of this Lwvarus were, however, not 
examined; its food need not necessarily have been just those pelagic 
organisms which were strandeå*;simultaneously; besides crusta- 
ceans would naturally be especially noticed among the stranded or- 
ganisms, as they retain their appearance longer than salpae, for 
instance. I do not feel convinced by Waite’s conclusion, more 
especially as fish which. live on crustaceans have an alimentary 
canal of ordinary length.”), : 
1) Cetorhinus maximus (Gunn.). 
*) To identify the “small shrimps”, which were stranded simultane- 
ously with Luvarus as Munida subrugosa seems to me rather presumptuous, 
for the Munida species are not of the same shape as shrimps. Neither are 
they, at any rate the northern species such as Munida rugosa, not pelagic, 
but live at, or near, the bottom. It is therefore strange that it should Se 
just this species which was found in the stomach of the stranded Basking 
Shark. (Waite: — New Records or Recurrences of rare Fishes from 
Eastern Australia. Records Austr. Mus. Vol. IV, p. 263). The account given 
is as follows: — “The stomach and intestines were found to be charged with 
food, the whole forming a gelatinous-like substance of bright salmon colour. 
Mr. Thomas Whitelegge, to whom I submitted a sample, pronounces 
it to be composed of the Anomurous Crustacean Munida subrugosa Whiie, 
commonly called “Whale food”, a term applied to pelagic assemblies of 
Pteropods or Crustaceans.” I am inclined to think that the Munida here 
mentioned should be looked upon as being accidental and were such as were 
swallowed after the fish had come into more shallow water. At all events, 
this particular crustacean cannot compose any part of the pelagic “whale- 
food”; this is, both in northern and southern districts where whales are 
caught, principally species of Euphausiidae, the description “small shrimps” 
may well be applied to them. The contents of the stomach and intestines of 
the Basking Sharks which have been captured on the coast of Norway. 
