IS^ONSUCH 



generic name, meaning saw-pointed, with reference 

 to his teeth. 



Throughout historical times the blue shark has 

 been described as a strong, swift swimmer, an in- 

 veterate man-eater, with a hide which makes the 

 very best leather. This sums up most of our knowl- 

 edge of his life-history, although long before Lin- 

 naeus happened to notice him, the above-mentioned 

 fishermen had paid him much closer attention, oc- 

 casionally calling him names which could not occur 

 in any scientific catalogue. 



While the two miles of wire and nets were being 

 pulled in on the aft deck of the Gladisf en, our par- 

 ticular blue shark appeared from the equally blue 

 depths. His color marked him as a true inhabitant 

 of the open sea, like the flyingfish and the tunnies. 

 But unlike them, there is no reason why blue sharks 

 should not descend to great depths, and the Gladis- 

 fen individual may have come from a hundred or 

 from five hundred fathoms for all we know. He 

 appeared interested in the wire but swam steadily 

 ahead — all four of them in fact, since he was not 

 alone, but was accompanied by three friends, a 

 remora or shark-sucker, who is one of the world's 

 most amazing fish, and a brace of pilotfish. 



The curiosity of our convoy was mild and he was 

 content to swim slowly along, first to port, then to 

 starboard. A shark is probably the most graceful 

 animal in the world, and if you are the kind of per- 

 son to think of such phrases as the poetry of motion, 

 watching the blue shark in action is as good a time as 



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