tendrils entwined in almost inextricable complexity among the salt-loving vegetation. of the ocean, and their tiny inmates as yet imperfect and unborn.

Water, which to these creatures contains the breath of life, gains access to the imprisoned sharkling, through two slight longitudinal apertures, one towards each end of the egg; and it is a very remarkable fact that in these waters the undeveloped young are furnished with small external gills, which are afterwards absorbed into the system-a phenomenon curiously analogous to the structure of the tadpole. The substance of the egg-shell, if such a term can be applied to the envelope which contains the young, is of a moderately stiff horny character, becoming harder when dry, and of a semi-transparent yellowish hue, not very unlike, though not so clear as the yellow portions of tortoise-shell.

For the escape of the young Shark, when strong enough to make its own way in the wider world of waters, an outlet is provided in the opened end of the envelope, which opens when pushed from within and permits the little creature to make its way out, though it effectually bars the entrance against any external foe. When it first leaves its horny home, the neophyte Shark bears with it a capsule, containing a portion of the nutrimental principle of the egg, as is seen in the chicken of the common fowl, and is enabled to exist upon this substance until it has attained the power of foraging for itself, when the small remainder of the capsule is absorbed into the abdomen.

The head of the Little Dog-fish is rather flat upon the top, there is a little spiracle or blow-hole behind each eye, and the shape of the mouth is somewhat like a horse-shoe. The general colour of the body is pale reddish on the upper parts, covered with many little spots of dark reddish brown; below it is yellowish white. The length of this species is about eighteen inches.

THE second species shown in the engraving is called the ROCK DOG-FISH, because it is often found on rocky coasts. From its superior size, it is also known by the name of LARGE SPOTTED DOG-FISH, and on several coasts it goes by the curt and not euphonious name of BOUNCE.

The habits of this fish are so like those of the preceding species, that they need no description.

It may readily be distinguished from the little dog-fish by the large size and fewer number of the spots, as well as by the shape of the ventral fins, which in this species are nearly squared at the end, whereas in the former they are of a diamond-like form. The colour of the Rock Dog-fish is brownish grey above, without the red tinge of the little dog-fish, and covered rather sparingly with large patches of blackish brown. Below it is whitish. The length of a fine specimen will sometimes be nearly a yard.

ANOTHER species of Dog-fish, namely the BLACK-MOUTHED DOG-FISH, or the EYED DOG-FISH (Pristidúrus melanostomus), is mentioned by Mr. Yarrell among the list of British fishes. It may be at once distinguished from either of the preceding species by its large snout, and a row of small flat and sharp-edged prickles, arranged in sawlike fashion on the upper rim of the tail fin. The generic title Pristidurus, or Saw-tail, is given to the fish in allusion to this peculiarity. Its colour is light brown on the upper surface, sprinkled with spots, the smaller of which are scattered irregularly, and the larger arranged in four rows, two on each side. Its length is between two and three feet.

The BLUE SHARK, so called from the fine slaty blue colour of its skin, is a not unfrequent visitor of our shores, and is the object of the deadliest hatred to the fishermen, who are sometimes doomed to see their fish stolen, their nets cut to pieces, and their lines hopelessly ruined by this fish, without the least power of checking its depredations.

About the month of June, according to Mr. Couch's observations, this Shark makes its appearance on our coasts, and has sometimes been so plentiful that nine or ten have been taken by our fishing boats in a single day. As the fishermen are hauling up their

lines with the fish upon the hooks, the Blue Shark will follow the fish as it is drawn upwards, seize upon it, and hook itself for its trouble. Exasperated by the unsuspected check upon its maraudings, it tries to bite the line asunder, a feat easily performed by its lancet-like teeth with their notched edges.

Sometimes, however, it takes to another stratagem, and as soon as it feels the hook, rolls itself round so rapidly on its axis, that it winds the line round its body into a mass of inextricable entanglement. So effectually is this feat achieved, that in spite of the value of the line, the fishermen have been known to give up any attempt to unravel its knotty convolutions. This fish has another fashion of biting the line asunder without any apparent reason.

Perhaps, however, it never is so thoroughly destructive as in the pilchard season, when it follows the vast shoals of these fish to our shores and devours them wholesale. Even when they are inclosed in the net, the Blue Shark is not to be baffled or deprived of its expected banquet, for, swimming along the whole length of the net, it bites at the inclosed fish, caring nothing for the meshes, and taking out large mouthfuls of mingled net and pilchards, swallows them together.

There is hardly a season passes when the capture of a fine specimen of the Blue Shark on our coasts is not recorded in the local papers. The sailors have an idea that this voracious fish is able to succour her young when in danger, by opening her mouth and letting them swim down her throat. It is undoubtedly true, that living young have been found in the stomach of large sharks; but whether they had been swallowed as a means of protection, is by no means proved. The reader will doubtlessly remember the similar stories that have been told of the viper and other poisonous snakes.

In the foreground of the engraving is introduced the skull of a large Shark, for the purpose of showing the terrible teeth with which it is armed, and which lie in several rows, ready to take the place of those which are broken or cast off when their work is done. From these teeth, which cut like broken glass, the natives of many savage lands make tools and weapons of war, by ingeniously fixing them into wooden handles. The voracity and dulness of nerve belonging to the Shark is really wonderful. One my friends was fishing after a large Shark that was following the vessel, and after a little time, succeeded in inducing the fish to take the great hook that had been nicely baited with pork to suit his palate. Too sudden a jerk, however, having been given to the line, the hook tore its way through the side of the cheek, setting the Shark free. The wound was a terrible one, and bled profusely, but the Shark seemed to care little or nothing about it, still hovered about the bait, as if unable to resist its attractions, and after a little while, was hooked a second time and hauled safely on board.

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The capture of a Shark is always an event on board ship, especially if she be a sailing vessel and the wind has fallen. A hook made for the purpose, is secured to a fathom or so of iron chain, the Shark being capable of biting through a rope in an instant, and in no way so particular in its diet as to need fine tackle. Indeed, as in the lastmentioned instance, the creature seems to be perfectly aware of the danger, but to be incapable of resisting the tempting morsel. The other end of the chain is firmly lashed to a stout rope, and the latter secured to the vessel, as one rush of a powerful Shark would pull half a dozen men overboard.

All things being ready, a good large piece of pork is fixed tightly on the hook, and allowed to tow overboard. The Shark, being to the full as inquisitive as the cat, comes up with true feline curiosity, and sniffs at the bait with an air of deliberate scrutiny. Sometimes, it having perhaps lately partaken of a good meal, it is very coy about taking the bait, and keeps the anxious anglers above in a state of tantalized impatience for an hour or more. Generally, however, it dashes at the bait at once, and has even been known to leap from the water and hook itself before the bait had even reached the surface.

Now begins a mighty struggle, and all is eager excitement. The Shark knows no wiles, but uses all its great strength to tear away from the hook by sheer force, having apparently but slight sense of pain, and in many cases would do so were not a check put upon its efforts by a rope knotted into a bowline and dexterously slipped over its tail. Being now held by both extremities, it is shorn of its strength like Samson without his locks, and lifted on deck by both lines. Sometimes a trident-like harpoon, technically called a "grains," the handle of which is heavily loaded with lead to make it fall with greater force, is dropped upon the struggling fish.

Being brought on deck, however, the struggles of the creature recommence with tenfold violence. Twisting with marvellous agility, snapping right and left with its murderous teeth, and dealing heavy blows with its terrible tail, it makes the deck tremble under its strokes, until some experienced sailor runs in with an axe, and with a blow across the tail, reduces the creature to malignant impotence. The muscles of the Shark are endowed with astonishing irritability, and long after the body has been cut to pieces and parts of it cooked and eaten, the flesh will quiver if pricked with a knifepoint; the separated heart will beat steadily while lying on the bare boards, and the jaws of the severed head will snap with frightful vehemence if any object be put between

the teeth.

Sailors generally make high festival at the dismemberment of a Shark, and have great delight in opening the creature for the purpose of finding out the articles which it had swallowed. For a Shark, when following a vessel, will eat anything that falls overboard. The contents of a lady's workbox, a cow's hide entire, knives, hats, boots, and all kind of miscellanea have been found in the interior of a Shark; while on one occasion were discovered the papers of a slaver, which had been flung overboard when the vessel was overhauled, and by means of which papers so strangely recovered, the vessel was identified and condemned.

The colour of this species is beautiful slate-blue above, and white below.

THE remarkable fish depicted in the accompanying illustration affords a striking instance of the wild and wondrous modifications of form assumed by certain creatures, without any ascertained purpose being gained thereby. We know by analogous reasoning that some wise and beautiful purpose is served by this astonishing variation in form; but as far as is yet known, there is nothing in the habits of this species that accounts. for the necessity of this strange shape.

The shape of the body is not unlike that of the generality of Sharks, but it is upon the head that the attention is at once rivetted. As may be seen from the figure, the head is expanded laterally in a most singular manner, bearing, indeed, no small resemblance to the head of a hammer. The eyes are placed at either end of the projecting extremities, and the mouth is set quite below, its corners just coinciding with a line drawn through the two projecting lobes of the head. It is worthy of notice, that several of our commonest British insects-those beautiful dragon-flies belonging to the genus Agrion-have heads modelled on a very similar principle, and there are some exotic insects where this singular shape is even more exaggerated, the eyes being set quite at the end of long lateral footstalks.

This species attains to a considerable size, seven or eight feet being a common measurement, and specimens of eleven or twelve feet having been known. Its flesh is said to be almost uneatable, being hard, coarse, and ill-flavoured. The Hammer-headed Shark produces living young, and from the interior of a very fine specimen captured near Tenby in 1839, and measuring more than ten feet in length, were taken no less than thirty-nine young, all perfectly formed, and averaging nineteen inches in length.

Several species of Hammer-headed Sharks are known, among which the Heartheaded Shark (Sphyrnias Tiburo), has the best developed head, and the Broad-headed Shark (Sphyrnias laticeps), the most so. Another species, the Tudes (Sphyrnias Tudes), thought to inhabit the Mediterranean, and the shores of Southern America, is intermediate between the two extremes.

The general colour of this species is greyish brown above, and greyish white below.

THE destructive and voracious fish, which is indiscriminately known by the names of TOPE, PENNY DOG, or MILLER'S DOG, according to the particular coast near which it is found, is another familiar British representative of that great shark family, from whose larger developments we are in this favoured country happily free.

The Tope is commoner towards the southern than the northern coasts, but wherever it is found, it is an intolerable nuisance, behaving itself much after the example set by the blue shark, and being, in proportion to its dimensions, quite as injurious to the fishing interest. Like the last-mentioned species, it produces living young, the number of a single family being about thirty. They are born in May and June, and mostly remain on our coasts through their first winter, not retiring into deep water till they have entered their second year.

Like the blue shark, the Tope is fond of robbing the fishermen's hooks, and will in like manner endeavour to free itself when hooked, biting through the line, or rolling round with such rapidity that it winds the long cord about its body into tangled knots. The upper surface of the Tope is slaty grey, becoming lighter towards the abdomen, which is nearly white.