. Elements of zoölogy. Zoology. THE TRUE FISHES. 163 Virgin, off Block Island, was about seventy feet in length. They are harmless, living upon small pelagic animals that are strained into the throat through a series of hard, elastic, whalebone-like fringes, that are arranged comb-like along the large gill-openings. The teeth are small and compara- tively useless. The Rhinodon (Fig. 199) is a similar form of East African waters, and attains a length of sixty or seventy feet. The mouth opens on a level with the snout. When struck, they have been known to carry large boats beneath the surface. V
. Elements of zoölogy. Zoology. THE TRUE FISHES. 163 Virgin, off Block Island, was about seventy feet in length. They are harmless, living upon small pelagic animals that are strained into the throat through a series of hard, elastic, whalebone-like fringes, that are arranged comb-like along the large gill-openings. The teeth are small and compara- tively useless. The Rhinodon (Fig. 199) is a similar form of East African waters, and attains a length of sixty or seventy feet. The mouth opens on a level with the snout. When struck, they have been known to carry large boats beneath the surface. Value of Sharks.—They are all scavengers. The skin of dog- fish and others is used as leather and shagreen. The oil of nearly all the species is valuable, and the bodies as guano. The teeth of sharks are used as weapons by the Pacific islanders. In China the shark-fin trade is an important one, they being used as food. Saw-Fishes (Pristidce).—These remarkable fishes (Fig. 200) attain a length of fifteen feet, and are common on the North American coast from Cape Cod Fig. 200.—Saw-fish. The snout is prolonged into a sword, the edges being armed with sharp, bony teeth. A species of saw-fish lives in a fresh-water lake in the Philippine Islands. The saw is used as a weapon by some tribes. They are vivipa- rous. Skates {Raiaidce).—These fishes are all notable for the development of the side or pectoral fins that in some species appear like wings. Their teeth are grinding plates, adapted for crushing mollusks and crabs. Their eggs are deposited in a dark, rectangular, parchment-like case, hav-. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Holder, Charles Frederick, 1851-1915; Holder, Joseph Bassett, 1824-1888, joint author. New York : D. Appleton and company
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1884
