THE SHARKS OF NARBOROUGH 183 



little intersecting circles, constantly plunging 

 their heads beneath the water to stare at me. 

 Finally curiosity overcame them, they could stand 

 it no longer, and down they came, clad in mantles 

 of silvery bubble sheen. They encircled me once, 

 started on another round but then became fasci- 

 nated by the black hose and after an examination, 

 half paddled, half drifted to the surface and were 

 gone. 



Two mighty schools of Xesurus passed me graz- 

 ing slowly. When within six feet they left off 

 their eternal feeding and formed up into more or 

 less orderly ranks which flowed like some enor- 

 mously long sea-serpent around the identical cor- 

 ners of rocks where had passed the leaders, yards 

 and yards in advance. Invariably the formation of 

 an irregular line led very close to me, the closing up 

 of ranks evidently being connected with the pres- 

 ence of danger or at least something suspicious or 

 strange. It was an amusing sensation to have these 

 hundreds of fish file past, all rolling their eyes at 

 me as they went. I felt almost embarrassed at 

 times, as perhaps "the remains" must occasionally 

 feel as the viewing crowds stream past. With these 

 yellow-tailed cows were widely scattered, single in- 

 dividuals of a fish which we never caught nor identi- 

 fied. In shape and in the general greyish blue color 

 of body they bore a considerable resemblance to 

 Xesurus, their characteristic marks being two 

 white spots above the eyes. But they were not 

 grazers, nor even, I believe, herbivorous. I never 

 saw them graze even when the school of their asso- 



