. Chapters on the natural history of the United States. Zoology. OF THE UNITED STATES 73 at once, upon peering into its depths, I became convinced that an enormous brown fish was coming gradually to the surface. As the villain neared it, he became more active, but what fixed my attention most of all, was the curious form of its head. On either side it was produced lateral-wise, the extremity being occupied by the eye. These were large and were rolled about in their sock- ets in the most horrid manner. It was a specimen of the dreaded Hammerhead shark (Zygcena malleus), and must have been at le
. Chapters on the natural history of the United States. Zoology. OF THE UNITED STATES 73 at once, upon peering into its depths, I became convinced that an enormous brown fish was coming gradually to the surface. As the villain neared it, he became more active, but what fixed my attention most of all, was the curious form of its head. On either side it was produced lateral-wise, the extremity being occupied by the eye. These were large and were rolled about in their sock- ets in the most horrid manner. It was a specimen of the dreaded Hammerhead shark (Zygcena malleus), and must have been at least between eight and nine feet long, or even longer. This is a very dangerous species, no less so, indeed, than the white and the blue sharks. It is found all along the coast from Cape Cod to Cape Sable, and to the southward. They are also of the man- eating variety, and specimens have been captured in the stom- achs of which portions of human bodies and plenty of clothing and other objects have been found. There are between twenty. Fig. 12. Hammerhead Shark i Zygcena malleus). and thirty species of sharks and dogfishes found upon the Pacific coast, and many of these have been described by Jordan in his very useful works upon American fishes. The Thrasher and the Mackerel sharks occur upon both of our coasts, and each is a very distinguished species. Oil in considerable quantities is pro- cured from the livers of the latter, while of the former Doctor Goode says that it is known " in Europe as the Fox shark, and to our fishermen most usually as the Swingle-tail. It is one of the most grotesque of sea animals, the upper lobe of the tail being exceedingly long, curving upward and resembling in form the blade of a ; Thrashers grow to become fifteen feet or more in length, and weigh several hundred pounds. Stories about their attacking whales, however, have no foundation in fact. Fishermen say they kill fish by blows of their powerful. Please note that these image
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