43 



the sea around it dyed with blood. The officer told me that 



s"/^wa'o^\f "°'-'!^%"f-,°" ^^" ^•^^'^ °"^ had seen it "dl the 

 sh p was on the point of striking it as the creature was Ivino- fust 

 below the surface of the water. The sea was quite calm at Ae 

 time. I should have thought the noise of the ropelTer or shb 



leading me to beheve the creature was either asleep blind or 



t?h.' i ' ''"' ' ^'\''' f '^'^P- ^S^^^ I have knoJi a shark 

 to be thrown up on the after sponson of the S.S. " Pottin^er " in 



Z no'' c 'of tl/' ""'^n ' '' ' '''' "^ '^^^^^h, one would think 

 the noise of the paddle floats would have warned any fish of 

 danger, but both the whale and shark take things vervlisily a 

 times and have a lazy fit as though dozing, but are prettv livefv 

 when on the look out for food. ^ ^ ^ 



Voracity and Vitality of the Shark. 



inhabits' fll'p'"'ti' ^he most voracious fish I should think that 

 inhabits the sea, nothing seems to come amiss to him, rone 

 yarns, bits of crockery, bones, or even old boots, to say nothin' 

 of human beings. To illustrate the vitality of the shark which 

 trsbin?' ""^ °r °hservation, one had been swimming round 

 pt W P >f '^°"^^t™^' (I ^as in a sailing ship, becalmed) when 

 at last we had an opportunity of harpooning it. We had nearlv 

 got It on board when the harpoon drew and overboard the fish 



back h^r.L l°T °^ ''' ""''■^^^^ '''''' ^'■^^^ through the 



back, but after a short time it returned with a portion of its 

 inside traihng along. We baited a hook with a pie?e of sal 

 pork and actually caught the brute, which measured^some 8 o 

 9 feet in length It must have been very hungry for there was 

 no food of any description in the stomach. 



nnt 'J'h^ heart ofa Shark will pulsate for an hour after being cut 

 out, even if cut into several pieces. The Shark at sea is always 

 Th!iTT"A^-'^'''ir ^"''^ P^'°^ ^^h, the "Naucrates ductor." 

 ir ' , if ?h resembles a Perch, but is otherwise related to the 

 Mackerel. Sailors believe they warn the Shark of danger. I have 

 seen them rush ahead of his majesty as though to see if any 

 object in the water is fit for food. They are a pr°etty fish! but I 

 have never succeeded in capturing one. t- :> , 



.l.c w^ 'l^'ll^ hasa very ugly black parasite which clings most 

 a mth^; ^heSuckmgfish " Remora." This parasite ineasures 

 hLThk ^,\5.inchesm length a perfect fish in appearance, the 

 n rt if Vk K ''^"^ '''^'^l half Its length, and it has on the upper 

 St=?f?u'''lu''?™'^.P'^^^hy which it is able to adhere to 

 the skin of the Shark. I don't see how the Shark is to get rid of 



