1162 
SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 
3 — 6 fthms. deep, which are known in Bohuslan as 
hdljor, and are then taken in the seine, without the 
catch of a single male. When drawn into the boat at 
this time of year, they often give birth to young ones, 
the probable origin of the assertion that young fish 
15 — 17 dm. long swim in shoals together with their 
elders on predatory excursions. The Swedish fishermen 
declare that the fry never accompany the old, but live 
by themselves in shallow water. There they keep to 
the bottom, and are often taken on hand-lines during 
autumn. As they are never caught in numbers at the 
same time, it would appear that they do not gather in 
shoals, but lead a more solitary life. Each female 
seems to bring forth only about 10 young — in Ireland 
Thompson was told that the number is always odd — 
and the fishermen state that the female seldom contains 
more than 5 or 6 “ full-grown ” young at a time. Sun- 
devall found all the young taken out of the same 
female to be exactly similar in size and development, 
whence he concluded that they are probably born 
shortly after one another. As we have mentioned above, 
the new-born fry are 22 — 25 cm. long. Those taken 
in autumn are hardly any larger, and even in January 
a few specimens of about the same size are now and 
then caught. These are probably born late in the year, 
and Thompson states from Ireland" that even at Christ- 
mas-time he found a female Picked Dog-fish with 9 
nearly mature foetuses (5 male and 4 female) in the 
oviducts. 
The flesh of the Picked Dog-fish is quite white 
and free from the disagreeable smell with which the 
larger Sharks are tainted. It is said to be fairly pa- 
latable, and it is eaten in Bohuslan both fresh, either 
boiled or fried, and cured, either salted or dried, in 
the last case usually after lyeing * 6 . So too in Norway, 
where it is, however, not much esteemed. In Scotland 
and in Southern Europe the Picked Dog-fish is also 
frequently used for food. In a dried state it is a mar- 
ketable commodity. If left uncooked for some days in 
summer, it begins to give off a rather powerful and 
exceedingly pure ammoniacal vapour, without any per- 
ceptible putrid smell, such as that usually emitted by 
decaying flesh. The caudal fin, which is a common 
article of trade in the island- belt of Bohuslan, under 
the name of ha-rump, is used by cabinet-makers in 
polishing wood and metal. In many localities the eggs 
are made into pancakes. The liver is boiled down 
into oil, and gives a fair yield. (Sundevall, Smitt.) 
Genus ETMOPTERUS. 
Teeth of the upper jaw symmetrical in form, multicuspid; those of the lower jaw obliquely shaped incisors. 
Nostrils large, their width being greater than the distance from the tip of the snout to the middle of a transverse 
line crossing their anterior margins. Pectoral fins ovally spatulate. Dorsal fin-spines with lateral grooves. 
It is true that Rafinesque", when he established 
this genus in 1810, based it partly on an erroneous 
observation — that it possessed only three branchial 
apertures — partly on a fortuitous character — that its 
dorsal fins Avere split at the margin d . But no ambi- 
guity is thereby involved, and the current rules of no- 
menclature therefore demand that his name for the genus 
should supersede the generally adopted, but younger 
name of Spinax, which Cuvier" and, after him, Bona- 
parte, in accordance with an unfortunate practice, bor- 
roAved from the Linmean specific name. 
Gunther indeed recognises three species of this 
genus, one from Europe, another from Madeira and 
the West Indies, and a third 7 from the southern 
coast of South America; but the distinction be- 
tween them is apparently rather dubious, and the 
former two are identified Avith each other by Du- 
meril. 
wing, fin), which ought strictly to be written Etlimopterus. Still we 
a Nat. Hist. Irel., vol. IV, p. 254. 
6 See above, p. 1107, note f. 
c Caratt. N. Gen., Spec., p. 14. 
d Hence the generic name (Gr. rfigog, strainer and tcveqov. 
retain here the orthography of its author. 
e Regn. Anim., ed. I, tom. II, p. 129 (1817). 
f Spinax granulosus, Shore Fishes, Rep. Challeng. Exped., Zoo!., 6, p. 19, tab. II, fig. (J. 
