[Three Hundred Animals Contents]
IS often caught at Heligoland, an island not far from the mouth of the Elbe; it is about three feet in length, and has a bigger and flatter head than the shark. The back, sides, and fins are of a bluish colour, the belly is nearly white; the whole skin is smooth and slippery, without any appearance of scales. He is of a very voracious nature and has a double row of sharp and round teeth, both in the upper and lower jaw. However his appetite does not lead him to destroy fishes similar in shape to himself, as he is supposed to feed entirely on crustaceous animals and others, whose shells he breaks easily with his teeth. He is sometimes found in the northerly seas exceeding six feet in length, and owes his name to his natural fierceness and voracity. The fins nearest to the head spread themselves when the animal is swimming, in the shape of two large fans, and their motion contributes considerably to accelerate his natural swiftness. We do not hear that his flesh is good to eat.
