Sphyrcena barracuda; its Morphology, Habits, and History. 95 



foot tiger sharks {Galeocerdo tigrinus) swimming around just out of 

 harpooning distance, I questioned one of the most experienced of Key 

 West fishermen (then in my employ) as to the danger of falUng over- 

 board in such a locahty. He rephed that there was practically none, 

 and when, to draw him out, I professed to disbelieve him he coolly 

 offered to prove the matter by jumping overboard on one of the sharks 

 if I would steer him up close enough. So confident was I of the 

 accuracy of his statements that, had the sharks not been wanted for 

 specimens, I would have taken him at his word. Similarly the pad- 

 dling and splashing of a number of swimmers will ordinarily drive off 

 any shark. It must, however, be borne in mind that I am speaking 

 of my experience and observations at Beaufort, North Carolina, and in 

 southern Florida only. For an incident illustrative of this character 

 of shark at Beaufort, see the account given by the present writer in 

 1912. But it is not thus with the big barracuda. He is inquisitive, 

 utterly fearless, and seemingly of implacable temper. The Key West 

 fishermen dread this fish much more than they do the ordinary shark. 

 The whole matter was admirably put 250 years ago by the Sieur de 

 Rochefort (1665) in his "Natural history of the Antilles": 



"Among the monsters greedy and desirous of human flesh, which are found 

 on the coasts of the islands, the Becune is one of the most formidable. It is 

 a fish which has the figure of a pike, and which grows to six or eight feet in 

 length and has a girth in proportion. When it has perceived its prey, it 

 launches itself in fury, like a blood-thirsty dog, at the men whom it has per- 

 ceived in the water. Furthermore it is able to carry away a part of that which 

 it has been able to catch, and its teeth have so much venom that its smallest 

 bite becomes mortal if one does not have recourse at that very instant to 

 some powerful remedy in order to abate and turn aside the force of this 

 poison," 



One of the points above noted is expressly corroborated by Fermin 

 (1769), who says in so many words that with its long trenchant teeth 

 it is able to cut clear through and carry off anything which it encoun- 

 ters in swimming — a statement which may well be believed. 



The other points in Rochefort's accounts are confirmed by Du 

 Tertre (1667), who tells us that: 



"This fish [which grows to a length of 8 feet] is greedy, blood-thirsty, bold, 

 and is more dangerous than the Requiem [shark] . . . , because besides 

 the fact that it can bite more easily, it is not startled by any noise any more 

 than by the movements Avhich may be made in the water. On the other hand, 

 in order to investigate these, it launches itself at the persons [making these 

 movements] in order to devour them." 



Sir Hans Sloane (1707) gives some particulars of especial interest 

 when taken in connection with other accounts to follow later: 



"It is very voracious, and feeds on Blacks, Dogs, and Horses, rather than 

 on White men, when they can come at them in the water." 



