There are several kinds of these small Sharks, known as Spur-dog, Smooth Hound, Greater-spotted and Lesser-spotted Dog-fish, and Tope.  And you will hear fishermen call them by such names as “Rig,” “Robin Huss,” and “Shovel-nose.”  Fisher-folk dislike Sharks, the Dog-fish among them.  All those creatures, like the Cormorant, Seal, and Shark, which catch fish for breakfast, dinner and supper, are rivals of the fisherman.  He often pulls up his line to find but a part of a fish on the hook—­the rest was snatched by a “dog.”  At times his nets are torn by these nuisances, when they attack the “catch” of fish.  Or his lines come up from the deep all tangled round and round a writhing Dog-fish, which had swallowed the baited hook.

We come now to those flat Sharks, whose flesh you may have tasted.  No Sharks are nice-looking, but these flat ones—­the Skates or Rays—­are really hideous, Many of them are of great size and strength, and armed with spines on their bodies (see p. 52, No. 3) as well as teeth in their ugly jaws.  They have broad, flat bodies, with wide “wings,” and a long thin tail.  The whole shape reminds you of a kite, and you would hardly know the Ray or Skate as the Shark’s first cousin.

Yet it is only a Shark with flattened body, and whose side fins are so large that they spread out like fleshy wings.  The mouth is on the under part, as it is in all Sharks.

[Illustration:  FISHES (No.1). 1.  Blue Shark. 2.  Saw Fish. 3.  Starry Ray. 4.  Ox Ray. 5.  Plaice. 6.  Trunk Fish. 7.  Blue Striped Wrasse. 8.  Malted Gurnard. 9.  Muroena.]

These flattened Sharks must be a terror to their neighbours.  We shall see, in our next lesson, what strange weapons are used in the battles of the fish.  The Rays or Skates have their share of spines, stings, and poisons.  One glance at their shape tells you that speed is not their strong point.  If they wish to eat fast-swimming fish—­and they often do—­they must use cunning.

The Skate, being sandy-coloured and flat, is nearly invisible as it lies on the bed of the sea.  There it lurks, waiting for the first unwary fish.  A sudden spring, and its wide body smothers its unlucky victim.

Skates also flap their way slowly over the ocean floor, looking for a dinner.  They can eat shell-fish, and are fitted with teeth suited to the work of crushing such hard fare.  But, as we have seen, they have also the Shark’s love of eating other fish.

These Skates are the only members of the Shark family that we value as food.  You can see Skates of several kinds in the fish market.  They go by such names as Thorn-back Ray, Blue Skate, Spotted Ray, Starry Ray, Cuckoo Ray, Long-nosed Skate and Sting Ray.

EXERCISES

1.  Of what use are Sharks? 2.  How does the Thresher Shark hunt its prey? 3.  Give the names of several Dogfish and Rays. 4.  What is the food of the Skate, and how is it obtained?