58 
GREENLAND SHARK. 
feet, and the girth from six to eight feet — thus being among 
the stoutest of this family of predacious fishes. The mouth is 
large, extending nearly across the under part of the head; the 
teeth in several rows, serrated in one jaw, and lancet-shaped 
and toothed in the other. Pupil of the eyes an emerald green, 
the rest of the eye blue. The shin rough; ventral fins separate; 
no anal fin. It has spiracles; the gill openings five; colour 
ash grey. It is probable that Scoresby trusted to his figure 
for a more particular representation of this fish; but for what 
remains we have recourse to Dr. Fleming. His character of 
the species is: — the first dorsal fin larger than the second, more 
advanced than the ventrals. Teeth in the upper jaw broad at 
the base, suddenly becoming narrow and lanceolate, wuth the 
cutting edges rough; in the lower jaw the teeth are pyramidal, 
compressed, the cutting edges crenulated, a little convex on the 
foie edge, and subangularly concave on the hind edge. Pec- 
torals large; ventrals elongated, the two sides nearly parallel. 
It appeals that the tail is short. Fleming says he was in pos- 
session of the jaws of an individual, presented to him by a 
Mr. Simonds, and which was caught in his presence in the 
Pentland Frith. Another example was found dead at Burra 
Frith, in Unst. A third British example is recorded by Mr. 
Yarrell, and is preserved in the Museum of the University at 
Durham. It appears that another was found dead at the mouth 
of the Seine, in France. Scoresby represents this Shark as a 
decided enemy to the Great Greenland Whale, both alive and 
dead. In the former case it bites pieces out of its flesh, and 
the tail of this animal is often found to bear niai-hs of the 
injury; so that Whales avoid the places where they abound. 
But the depredation is more decided when the AVhale is dead. 
It scoops large pieces of the blubber from the body, and gorges 
itself to the full, without being terrified or driven away by the 
presence of men, even if 2fierced through with a spear; for, 
like the generality of its race, it is exceedingly retentive of life, 
and apparently insensible to wounds. Its ferocity, however, is 
expended on its prey, for it docs not inflict any injury on the 
men employed in cutting up the Whale, and even seems to 
be insensible to their presence. In the absence of other prey, 
however, it has been known to attack a man. Its season and 
mode of producing its young do not appear to have been 
