the SAWFISH, is generally considered as a species of the squalus or shark genus, comprehending under it several varieties. Mr Latham, however, is of opinion that it ought to be considered as a distinct genus itself, and that the characteristics of the several varieties are sufficient to constitute them distinct species. According to him therefore the pristis is a genus belonging to the order of amphibia nantes; and its characters are as follow: A long plane beak or snout, with spines growing like teeth out of both edges; four or five spiracula, or breathing apertures, in the sides of the neck; the body is oblong and almost round, with a rough coriaceous skin; the mouth is situated in the lower part of the head; and the nostrils, before the mouth, are half covered with a membranaceous lobe; behind the eyes are two oval holes; the ventral fins approach one another, and in the male are placed about the organs of generation; there are no fins at the anus. Of this genus our author enumerates five species.

1. Pristis antiquorum. The head is rather flat at top; the eyes large, with yellow irides; behind each is a hole, which some have supposed may lead to an organ of hearing. The mouth is well furnished with teeth, but they are blunt, serving rather to bruise its prey than to divide it by cutting. Before the mouth are two foramina, supposed to be the nostrils. The rostrum, beak, or snout, is in general about one-third of the total length of the fish, and contains in some 18, in others as far as 23 or 24 spines on each side; these are very stout, much thicker at the back-part, and channelled, inclining to an edge forwards. The fins are seven in number—viz. two dorsal, placed at some distance from each other—two pectoral, taking rise just behind the breathing-holes, which are five in number—two ventral, situated almost underneath the first dorsal—and lastly the caudal, occupying the tail both above and beneath, but longest on the upper part. The general colour of the body is a dull grey, or brownish, growing paler as it approaches the belly, where it is nearly white. 2. Pectinatus, which, with the former species, grows to the largest size of any that have yet come under the inspection of the naturalists, some specimens measuring 15 feet in length. The pectinatus differs from the pristis antiquorum, in having the snout more narrow in proportion at the base, and the whole of it more slender in all its parts; whereas the first is very broad at the base, and tapers considerably from thence to the point. The spines on each side also are longer and more slender, and vary from 25 to 34 in the different specimens: we have indeed been informed of one which contained no less than 36 spines on each side of the snout; but we must confess that we have never been fortunate enough to have seen such a specimen. 3. Cephalatus, of which our author has seen only two specimens, the one about a foot and a half in length, and the other more than two feet and a half. In both of these were 28 spines on each side; but the distinguishing feature is in the spines themselves, being particularly flat and broad, and shaped at the point more like the lancet used by surgeons in bleeding, than any other figure. We believe that no other author has hitherto taken notice of this species. 4. Microdon, of which the total length is 28 inches, the snout occupying 10; from the base of this to that of the pectoral fins four inches; between the pectoral and ventral fins six. The two dorsal fins occupy nearly the same proportions in respect to each other; but the hinder one is the smaller, and all of them are greatly hollowed out at the back-part, much more so than in the two first species. The snout differs from that of every other, in several particulars: it is longer in proportion, being more than one-third of the whole fish. The spines do not stand out from the sides more than a quarter of an inch, and from this circumstance seem far less capable of doing injury than any other species yet known. 5. Cirratus, of which, continues our author, we have only met with one specimen, which was brought from Port Jackson in New Holland. It is a male, and the total length about 40 inches; the snout, from the tip of it to the eye, 11; the spines widely different from any of the others; they are indeed placed, as usual, on the edge, but are continued on each side even beyond the eyes. The longer ones are slender, sharp, somewhat bent, and about 20 in number; and between these are others not half the length of the primal ones, between some three or four, between others as far as six; and in general the middle one of these smaller series is the longest; beside these a series PRIVATEERS series of minute ones may be perceived beneath, at the very edge. In the snout likewise another singularity occurs:—about the middle of it, on each side, near the edge, arises a flexible, ligamentous cord, about three inches and a half in length, appearing not unlike the beards at the mouth of some of the gadus or cod genus, and no doubt as pliant in the recent state. The colour of the fish is a pale brown: the breathing apertures four in number: the mouth furnished with five rows of minute, but very sharp teeth. See Plate CCCCXVI. where the snout marked 1 is that of the prifis antiquorum; that marked 2, of pectinatus; and that marked 4, of microdon: the entire fish is the cirratus.