ScHARFF. — Notes on Irish Sharks. 



99 



NOTES ON IRISH SHARKS. 



BY R. F. SCHARFF, B.SC, F.Z.S. 



I. — The Basking Shark (Cctorhinus maximiis). 



The Basking Shark, or Sun -fish, as it is sometimes called, 

 on account of its remaining motionless for a long time on 

 the surface of the water, is almost too common a species 

 to be recorded. Not long ago great numbers of them were 

 harpooned off the west coast of Ireland in order to obtain 

 the oil contained in the liver of these sharks. The oil 

 is rather valuable, and one of the Basking Sharks yielded 

 over a hundred gallons of it, which was worth from £50 

 to £100. This fishery has now been abandoned as the fish 

 have become less abundant. But they are by no means 

 rare, and I have a note leceived from Mr. J. Keane, of 

 Youghal, that two Basking Sharks measuring 22 J and 23 1 

 feet in length were taken in salmon drift-nets towards the 

 end of May in 1912.- 



II. — The Six-gilled Shark (Hexanchus griseus, Rafin.). 



Until a few years ago no specimen of this Shark was known 

 from the Irish marine area. In September, 1912, Mr. W. 

 Bindon Scott captured the first undoubted example of 

 this great shark near Dugort, Achill Island, on an ordinary 

 cod line. It measured 9 feet 4 inches in length, its weight 

 being estimated at from 3 to 5 cwt. Unfortunately this 

 fish was not preserved, but it wa,s identified by Mr. Scott, 

 and to judge from a photograph he sent me the identification 

 is perfectly accurate. During the following May another 

 specimen was secured at the mouth of Kenmare River and 

 presented to the National Museum of Ireland by the Earl 

 of Dunraven. This sha.rk measured 7 feet 4 inches. Finally 

 a very young example was procured during the Fisheries' 

 Survey of the Department's steamer in 110 fathoms, near 

 the Bull Rock on the Kerry coast. 



The Six-gilled Shark is not only of interest because it 

 is new to the Irish fauna, it belongs to a group of sharks 



